


A River of Snow

by ThePastReliesOnMemories



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossdressing, F/M, Fe!MC, Fem!Narukami Yu, Fem!Seta Souji, Female Protagonist, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Genderbending, Genderswap, I suck at ideas but I try, Mutual Pining (At some point), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Read at Your Own Risk, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Teenagers, but is very sweet when you break the masks, follows the main game a lot, slow start, this Yu Narukami has underlying issues, you'll see a lot of in-game dialogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2018-12-14 20:32:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 239,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11790924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePastReliesOnMemories/pseuds/ThePastReliesOnMemories
Summary: Yu Narukami is a city boy who moved to the rural town of Inaba to stay with his uncle because of his parents' jobs. What many don't realize is that he hides a deeper secret that stems from his life in the city, all for the sake of his grandfather. Worse yet, he may be feeling something else entirely for a certain tough boy... and he's not even himself.He fears that the mask he wears to everyone else may break one day, and he wouldn't even be able to hide his true self once that happens.[Fem!Yu Narukami x Kanji Tatsumi, this Yu Narukami has a slightly different backstory to the original MC but doesn't differ much. This story is also posted on Fanfiction.net under the same title.](Currently on hiatus due to college)





	1. Leaving the Concrete City

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm, uh, not dead. If anyone's wondering.
> 
> I got obsessed with the Persona games and it has been my fire since then. I always wished to read a full fanfiction of genderbent versions of protagonists but those are terribly rare... so why not make my own? I'll warn you, my grammar isn't the best since English isn't my first language but I try. If there are any mistakes in the story, then those are due to my own fault.
> 
> The story also starts slow since I base it on my own playing of Persona 4 and the events that happen in the game so please bear with me (in a way it's kinda a novelisation?). Anyway, enjoy the ride!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Away from the concrete city, to the lush lands of rural Inaba.

__

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

_"_ _Mother, do I have to go…?"_

_"I'm sorry, dear… your father and I have business out of Japan and your uncle in Inaba is the only one who can take care of you for the year. Please, it's just for the year. We'll try and finish our jobs there as fast as we can."_

_Silver grey eyes stared down at a pair of black loafers, glistening in the golden lighting of the room from the chandelier. Those eyes held no shine to them as they looked up at the older woman standing ahead of them who bore a regretful expression within her soft gaze. "...Yes, mother."_

_The woman sighed and went to hug her child, her arms wrapping around her child's frame. "Be good… and don't forget."_

_The younger one stared ahead silently, hands quietly turning into fists._

_"I won't, mother."_

~*~*~*~*~*~

The day of his departure was met with silence as his parents sent him to the train station.

"Be good now, okay?" His mother told him, hugging the silver haired boy for one last time. He nodded slowly, hugging his mother back. "Yes, mother."

After a moment, his mother broke the hug to let his father approach him. The man patted his shoulder, looking wistfully at his son. "We'll see you in a year. Take care of your health."

Yu nodded, quiet as ever. He doubted that they'll have the time to call him in that time period anyway.

"We need to go now, dear… we love you." His mother looked at him sadly before she and her husband left the place, leaving the boy standing amongst many others who were waiting for their train. A sigh escaped Yu's lips when he couldn't see them anymore.

Another year away from them, another school transferred from, and more people he lost once again.

All because of his grandfather's company, his parents were as busy as ever. His father was the heir of the company, and was currently the chief executive officer of the company while his grandfather was still the chairman. Soon, in due time, he himself too will become the heir.

His parents didn't have time to have another child, so he was the one to shoulder the weight. That was a future he wasn't looking forward to, but it was as if he had a choice to pick anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~

_"The train heading for Yasoinaba Station is now approaching… please step behind the yellow line to avoid any accidents from occurring..."_

That was his train.

He's been standing idly waiting for it, a simple black duffel bag as his luggage that he carried on his shoulder. He wasn't bringing much from home other than his spare clothes and some items necessary for school. Plus, he was already wearing his uniform for his new school in Inaba.

Yasogami High School… that was where he will be spending his second year in high school at.

One would feel nervous at that fact, but he has gone through it so many times he grew numb to it. It was now a minor occurrence in his everyday life, one he will expect to happen another day in the future.

The dull yellow train pulled over to the station, opening its doors a moment after.

_"Passengers of the train heading for Yasoinaba Station, please board the train now…"_

Without another thought, Yu boarded the train. Looking out at the city one more time, he sighed quietly. Goodbye it is to this concrete city.

He won't be seeing such a place for a year.

~*~*~*~*~*~

_An odd dream came to him the night before the day of his departure, a week after being told that he has to leave the city since his parents wouldn't be around for a whole year to take care of him._

_An ebony black limousine driving through a dense fog, its destination unknown, appeared in his mind. Inside the limousine was a grand sight, with a blue colour in different tones to almost everything inside the vehicle._

_On the seats at the side was a lady with her platinum-blonde hair pulled back into an elegant hairstyle, dull golden eyes, pale skin, and a blue dress with intricate details, mixing the colours black and gold against the dark blue of her outfit._

_Sitting next to her, in the middle of the seats at back of the limousine was an old man of the sort, with a long nose and wide eyes. His hair was a greyish white, but who knows how old he truly is? He was also dressed in a black suit and tie, which was an odd thing to see on such a person._

_The old man's hands were held together in front of his face and under his nose, his elbows on the small table set in front of him and the lady. A moment after, he opened his eyes and spoke first._

_"…Welcome to the Velvet Room."_

_That when Yu realized that the man was actually greeting him._

_"Ah… it seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny…" The old man chuckled slightly. "My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter – it is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter."_

_Igor then crossed his hands, elbows still on the light blue table. "It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then… why don't you introduce yourself?"_

_Yu blinked in silence, a little taken aback at the circumstances of this dream. Or is it even a dream? Still, he couldn't help but feel like he can trust the events happening right now. "My name… is Yu Narukami."_

_"Hm… I see." Igor grinned at him. His wide eyes appeared as if he knew something the teenage boy was hiding. "Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?" With a motion, a bright flash came from the table. When it faded out, what appeared from the flash was a deck of cards._

_"Do you believe in fortune telling?" he asked, not bothering for an answer as he waved his hands, causing the cards to move into a hexagon formation, with the remaining cards in the middle. "Each reading in done with the same cards, yet the result is always different…"_

_A chuckle came from Igor again. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" He flicked his fingers, causing a card to flip over. It was an upright Tower card. "Hm… the Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is…"_

_Another flick of his fingers, and another card flipped over. It was an upright Moon card._

_"The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'… very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here._ _The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… if the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen."_

 _I_ _gor then waved his arms, causing the cards to disappear. "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you."_ _He turned to look at the lady sitting near him, who has been looking at Yu the whole time silently. "This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."_

_Margaret had a poised smile on her lips as she then introduced herself. "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey."_

_Igor then focused back onto Yu. "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell…"_

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu's eyes focused on the fleeting scenery of the city through the windows, now turning into a blur.

A memory came to mind, one that was of his last day in his previous school. His homeroom teacher had announced his transfer to his classmates, most of them he barely even knew, though they all had been shocked at the announcement.

He hasn't even been in that school for more than a year.

Yu's life was a lonely one, where his constant moving has caused him to lose many friends over the years. In the end, he has gotten so sick of feeling pain when he had to leave that he decided to _not_ make friends whenever he arrived at a new place.

It worked so far, but now he feels empty.

~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour has passed.

By now, Yu could see the buildings of a town unfamiliar to him. He knew the train was approaching the station soon, as evident from the announcement saying that they will be arriving at the Yasogami Terminal in a few minutes.

Taking out his phone, he checked his messages and found one.

_"Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4PM."_

He silently put his phone back into his pocket and got up to take his luggage out. It was time for him to change lines so he would be on his way to Inaba.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The trip on the other train was just about the same, except with much less people. Yu was able to get a seat and merely stared at the empty seat across of him in silence. As the train entered a tunnel, he let his eyes slowly close…

A vision of Margaret and Igor suddenly flashed through his mind, startling him.

The darkness of the tunnel turned to light, revealing green pastures and a rural city in the distance.

~*~*~*~*~*~

He was the only one to drop off at the Yasoinaba Station. He had predicted that the town would be quiet, but not this quiet.

Yu looked around, trying to find someone… when he heard a man's voice call him.

"Hey! Over here!"

Turning his head, Yu finally noticed a man and a little girl near a car. He walked down the steps and approached them. So this must be his uncle. They shook hands as his uncle smiled. "Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo."

"Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you," Ryotaro then introduced himself. He looked a little rugged with his stubble and black hair. He had dark brown eyes and was dressed in a semi-casual outfit, consisting of a grey button up shirt, red tie, black slacks and shoes. "Let's see… I'm your mother's younger brother… and that about sums it up."

Yu nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

Ryotaro smiled again and scratched the back of his head. "Heh. You probably don't remember, but we've met. I've changed your diapers before, you know." He looked at the little girl hiding behind him and gently pushed her in front of his nephew. "This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

Nanako was a brunette with the same brown eyes as her father. She was also dressed in a pink shirt with white long sleeves and a dark maroon skirt alongside a pair of brown loafers and white socks that reached her knees. She nervously looked down, not willing to look at Yu. "…'lo." She blushed shyly and went behind her father again.

Ryotaro just chuckled. "What're you so shy for?" he asked as he looked behind him at her. His question just resulted in Nanako hitting his back in shy anger. "Ow, hahaha." The older man laughed the pain off before looking back at Yu. "Well then… let's get going. My car's over there."

Yu followed them both, having a feeling that this year would be a dull one.

* * *

 

Along the way, they had stopped at the gas station in the central shopping district of Inaba. Apparently Nanako had to go to the bathroom real quick, and that was the nearest place that had one. Ryotaro decided that he'll fill the car's tank while he was at it.

The gas station attendant approached the car as they pulled over. "Hi! Welcome to Moel."

Yu went out of the car with Nanako and his uncle, tired enough that he didn’t bother to focus much on his surroundings. He was snapped out of it when the attendant then spoke to him. "Are you in high school?"

The teenage boy then looked at the attendant. "Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be handing out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now."

The both of them got closer as the attendant continued to talk. "Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." They then held their hand out, and Yu went ahead to shake hands with them. They talked a bit more when Nanako arrived, reminding the attendant of their job. "Oh, I should get back to work."

They left after that. Yu noticed Nanako looking at him when a throbbing sensation hit him. He held his head, grimacing slightly.

"…Are you okay?" A soft voice asked, which belonged to Nanako who was looking at him. "Did you get carsick? You don't look too good…"

Yu wondered if he was just exhausted. He was feeling somewhat dizzy too… well, whatever it was, he can't let it show too much. Better to act fine than let people worry for him.                                                                        

* * *

 

The Dojima residence was smaller than Yu's home back in the city, but it was more cosier than the grand house he had gotten used to living in. For the next year, this place will be his home… and it will be quite an odd experience.

A small while after arriving, they had dinner set up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They all opened their cans of drinks as Ryotaro decided that they should have a toast. That they did, and they drank a few gulps before setting the cans down on the wooden table.

Ryotaro then looked at his nephew. "So… your mom and dad are busy as always… they're working overseas, was it? I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents… it's rough being a kid. Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you’re here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

Yu nodded again. "Thank you for your kindness."

His uncle smiled a bit. "C'mon, there's no need to be so formal. Look, you're making Nanako all tense."

Nanako noticed what her father just said and looked down, relaxing a little. Ryotaro continued on. "Well, anyway… let's eat."

Just as they were about to eat, a ringing sound came from the older man. "Ugh… who's calling at this hour?" He took out his phone and answered the call. "…Dojima speaking." He got up and walked away from the table. "Yeah? I see… so where is it? Uhuh… all right, I'm on my way."

He ended the call and turned to look at Yu and Nanako. "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?"

Nanako's expression had fallen, having gotten up at the phone call. "…Okay."

Ryotaro then left, when he shouted. "Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?"

"I already brought it in!"

"…All right. Well, I'm off."

The sound of a car engine turned out echoed from outside, before it began to fade out as the car drove away. Nanako sat back down and turned on the television, which had a weather forecast playing. Apparently it’s going to be raining a lot.

"…Let's eat," The brunette girl said meekly. Yu bit his lip, thinking about something to talk about… and his thoughts went to what Ryotaro worked as. "What does your dad do?" he asked, just to try and break the ice.

"He… investigates stuff. Like crime scenes. My dad's a detective."

Oh.

Just then, a news report came in on the television. It was about a city council secretary named Taro Namatame being under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter, and his wife, Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to the news station that she will likely pursue damages.

Mayumi Yamano, the reporter allegedly in a relationship with said secretary will not be on television in the meantime. Yu just shook his head – seems that such scandals won't escape this town's television channels either.

"…This is boring." Nanako changed the channel, which then showed a commercial for a place called Junes. Upon hearing the little tune at the end of it, she sang along. "Every day's great at your Junes!" She looked at her cousin once she finished. "…Aren't you going to eat?"

Yu tried not to panic and went ahead to eat his meal which has gotten a little cold.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner, Yu washed up and went upstairs to a room, which was a room he was currently borrowing from his uncle to use as his own.

There were boxes all over the room, which some of them were essentially the rest of his stuff from home. Some others were from storage as this room was for that purpose. He'll just clear them out later.

Setting his duffel bag down near his futon, he was about to dress up for the night when his phone rang. With a sigh, Yu took out his phone and answered the call. "Hello…?"

_"Dear, is that you?"_

"M-mother." Yu stuttered in surprise. His parents never called before whenever they went away for a month or two at a time. Possibly because this time was different, his mother decided to call him for once. "I thought you wouldn't call."

_"I'm sorry about that, dear… we just thought that you would be alright if we didn't call just so you didn't miss us too badly. Is everything okay in Inaba?"_

The silver haired boy was silent for a few moments. "…Yes. I've just arrived and finished dinner, mother."

_"That's good… how's your uncle?"_

"He's fine. His daughter is alright too."

_"Good, good… dear, I need to board my flight now. We might be too busy to call you after this."_

"Yes, mother. I understand." Yu bit the inside of his cheek after saying that. It hurts to know that his parents were just too busy with their own lives to care for him.

_"Okay then. Your father and I love you, dear."_

"…I love you too, mom." Yu shut his eyes, his other hand gripping into a fist. The twinge of anger and sorrow mixed together in his chest as he wondered to himself, why did he have to live like this?

_"And… don’t forget. You must keep on hiding it. No one can know that you're a girl, Yui."_

To live as a person _she_ was not?

"I will, mother."

The call ended after that.

The teenager stood in utter silence as _her_ arm fell to her side, still gripping the phone tightly. _She_ knew exactly why. Why as a _man_ , rather than a _woman_? Not as _Yui Narukami_ , but rather as _Yu Narukami_? Because for her grandfather's sake, _she_ must become a _man_.

Even if it means hiding her true figure and appearance.


	2. Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school started strangely.

Sleep came easily with how exhausted Yui was from the long trip. She hoped that everything would be alright despite her own situation as being a girl who does crossdresses as a boy. Her short hair made her look a bit masculine despite her smaller frame, and people bought it.

She did try to be like a girl once. When she was young, she tried on a small white dress, her hair still short but a flower pin was on one of her front bangs. She felt free, joyful to look like something she was… but that ended abruptly when her mother saw her and scolded her for wearing such clothes.

She was forced into boyish clothes after that, and all clothes for girls that could fit her were taken away.

Yui felt bitter about it for a long time. Even now, but that feeling has numbed down by then. She has gotten used to using a chest binder when her breasts began to grow as she reached adolescence, though she couldn't do much for her own figure. Her only hope was to wear looser clothes.

She doubted that she would look nice either as a woman or a man after all this.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Instead of darkness, what Yui saw was a foggy world.

She got up sluggishly, looking around. She couldn't see a thing in this thick and dense fog… but the only thing she could do now was to proceed forward through this place. She ran forward, her school jacket flowing in the wind. It gave her warmth through the cold fog though she still shivered slightly.

As she reached a certain distance, a strange voice spoke out. "Do you seek the truth…?"

She paused in her steps, looking around again. She saw no one… and her only way out of her was forward. Again, the voice spoke once more after she ran for a while, making her stop. "If it's truth you desire, come and find me…"

It came from up ahead.

She followed the voice, until she reached a strange wall… but realized that it was a doorway, and that someone was beyond it. "Huh…" With no other reason to not open it, she managed to open it by touching a hand on it. The wall of red and black unsealed itself in a spiral, opening up a pathway.

She entered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui soon found herself in battle with a strange figure that was hidden by the mist. In her hands was a large katana, and although she found it quite heavy to hold, her strength was just enough to use it for attacking the figure.

"So… you are the one pursuing me. Hmhmhm… try all you like…"

Yui's grip on the katana tightened. "Haaaahh!" She yelled as she ran towards the person, swinging her katana down and slashing the figure. In her heart though, she knew it didn't do much damage as the person barely faltered and moved away from her.

"Hmm… it seems that you can see a little, despite the fog…" The person continued to speak. Yui chased forward and attacked again, which the persona moved back once more. "I see… indeed, you possess an interesting quality…"

Narrowing her eyes, instinct took over her as she summoned… _something_ … from within her that soon attacked the figure with what looked like an attack using electricity. It did not do much.

"But… you will not catch me so easily… if what you seek is 'truth', then your search will be even harder…"

The person began to cast a spell… and the fog grew even thicker to the point Yui couldn't see anything. Even as she tried to attack, she just couldn't hit the person.

"Everyone sees what they want to… and the fog only deepens…"

The silver-haired girl's attempts to attack were rendered useless by the fog.

"…Will we meet again…? At a place other than here… hmhm… I look forward to it…"

Yui breathed heavily, feeling her grip on her katana loosening. Her legs felt weak, and everything was turning… _dark_ …

* * *

 

The sound of knocking woke Yu up.

"Breakfast is ready…!" Nanako's voice was muffled from behind the door, though it was loud enough to get the word across. It was time he got up anyway… but it felt like he just had a nightmare, whatever the heck it was about.

…Well, he didn't have much time to ponder about it. He was starting school today.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Going downstairs while fully dressed in his school uniform, Yu found the dining table set up with breakfast already. Nanako held a plate with eggs and bacon on it. "Good morning."

He went ahead to take a seat at the table with her, sitting across one another. "Okay. Let's eat," Nanako said, gently swaying her legs that didn't even reach the floor. Yu was a little curious though – Ryotaro wasn't here… and it's like as if Nanako did the cooking. He decided to ask about the latter. "Did you do the cooking?"

His cousin nodded. "I can toast bread… and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner." She paused for a moment before continuing. "You're starting school today, right? My school's on the way, so… let's go together," she suggested with a smile.

Yu can sense that she was somewhat restless, though. Well, he'll just head to school with her today.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They both reached the Samegawa Flood Plain, which was a little foggy with the heavy rain going on.

Both Yu and Nanako had umbrellas of their own so they didn't get wet. They stopped when they arrived there. "You keep going straight from here. My school's this way. Bye!" Nanako told him, smiling before she went back the way they came. Yu went ahead from there.

As he arrived at the intersection leading to his new school, he noticed a brunette student on a bike, clearly struggling to control it. "Whooaaaaa…!"

Soon, that student crashed. Yu got closer, noticing that the student was holding a part of his in pain, groaning quietly. Yu just blinked, knowing how painful that could get for the average male person… but he himself was no guy. With that, he just quietly left the student alone.

It wasn't long until he finally reached the main gates of Yasogami High School.

Yu could only think of what kind of student life he'll have here as a new transfer student. He continued on forward, heading inside the building to go talk to the teacher so he'll be introduced to his new class.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Least to say, Yu had a feeling that the teaching leading him inside the class was… well, a shithead. He had no other ways to call this teacher. His parents would scold him for using such a word, but they're not here to do that.

Plus, if he has to act like a guy, then he needs to speak like one.

He stood near the teacher's desk, facing the class as the teacher, Mr. Morooka, then shouted at the students in the class. "Awright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!"

Every single student in the class clearly looked troubled at the statement. Hell, Yu would roll his eyes if he could.

"Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage, and he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!"

Yu felt like glaring at him already.

"Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick."

The silver-haired boy looked at his teacher with a blank gaze. "…You calling me a loser?"

Everyone in the class was shocked at his response. Mr. Morooka looked at him with a glare himself. "Hrnh… that's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately. Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know… it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places…"

By now, the teacher just went on and on… Yu was nearly out of it when a short-haired girl who wore green high collared athletic jacket with some decorative pins spoke up. "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?"

Mr. Morooka then snapped out of his 'speech'. "Huh? Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there, so hurry up and siddown already!"

Yu then went to the open seat next to the girl who just spoke up, who then began to whisper to him. "He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year." She went back to sitting straight in her seat after that.

Then, Yu could hear the whispers around him. Guess his luck really was that bad according to what they were saying… but the teacher shouted at them all again to stop the whispers. "Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

Yu mentally sighed. He hoped that he'd be able to fit into this school… somehow. With the secrets he held, he'll just try to last the year until he got back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The school day passed by quick since it was just a day to introduce everyone to the school again after the year.

Mr. Morooka had just finished his lesson at the moment. "That’s all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow."

As everyone began to do their own things for the evening, the school intercom rang out with an announcement. _"Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."_

The announcement ended there. Mr. Morooka turn to look at his students. "Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." Then he left. Just a moment after that, sirens could be heard from outside, yet one couldn't even see out the window due to the thick fog that had formed after the rain.

Yu barely focused on much things, but he did hear something about the announcer from the news last night being at an inn that belonged to the girl that had long black hair, and the athletic looking girl who whispered to him that morning earlier was talking about a little something that happens on rainy nights…

Then, another announcement rang out.

_"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the school zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…"_

This only intrigued the interests of most of the students in the class. Yu then realized that if police officers were dealing with this 'incident' then his uncle would be busy too… guess he'll just have to head back home alone.

Putting his things back into his bag, he was about to leave when the athletic girl and the black-haired girl approached him. "Hey, are you going home by yourself?" The athletic one asked. "Why don't you come with us? Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

…That's a bit of a dumb question. "Of course," Yu answered with a nod.

"Well, nice to meet you!" Chie looked at the girl next to her. "This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, nice to meet you… I'm sorry that this is so sudden…" Yukiko greeted humbly. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all," Chie told her friend.

The three of them began to walk out of the classroom when the same boy who crashed this morning approached them. "Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka…? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see…"

The boy then suddenly held out something towards Chie while bowing down, his upper body almost perpendicular to his legs. "And… I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!"

Chie took the thing, which upon closer look was a small package for a disk. "Seeya, thanks!" The boy said before quickly leaving. However, Chie ran towards him. "Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD?!"

"Aggh!"

Yu nearly winced. Poor guy.

He and Yukiko got closer to the two, seeing the boy in pain again. Chie opened the package and was dismayed at what she saw. "What the…?! I can't believe this! It is completely cracked… my 'Trial of the Dragon'…!"

The boy spoke out in a pained voice. "I think mine's cracked too… c-critical hit to the nads…"

"A-are you all right?" Yukiko asked in concern.

"Oh, Yukiko-san… are you worried about me…?"

"He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go home," Chie merely said to her friend. She closed the package and put it into her bag before leaving with Yukiko. Yu looked at the boy, seeing that he was in a lot of pain… he couldn't really do much about it and merely let him be, leaving.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they were leaving the school, a strange student approached them.

"You're Yuki, right? Y-you want to go hang out somewhere?"

"What…? Wh-who are you?" Yukiko asked, bewildered. More students noticed the strange guy and began to gossip. They even talked about an 'Amagi Challenge'…

"Um, s-so… are you coming or not?" The strange student asked again. "…I-I'm not going…" Yukiko eventually answered quietly. Then, the student lashed out all of a sudden. "…Fine!" He ran away after that. Yukiko looked at Chie and asked, "Wh-what did he want from me…?"

"What did he want…? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date," Chie answered her. The black-haired girl looked shocked. "Huh? Really…?"

"You really had no clue? Sheesh… but then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

Then, the boy who got kicked 'there' appeared with his bike. "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel… you got me the same way last year."

Yukiko was confused. "I don't recall doing that."

"Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?"

"…I'd rather not."

"…That'll teach me to get my hopes up… anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much." The boy then rode away on his bike. "We're just curious, is all!" Chie shouted at him. "U-um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this…" Yukiko apologized to Yu.

By now, many more were staring at them.

"C'mon, let's go. Everybody is staring…" Chie told them both and went ahead. The other two followed behind…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Along the way, they were talking about how Yu got to Inaba.

"Ah… so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." Chie smiled, then looked around for a moment before focusing back on silver-haired boy. "There really is nothing here, huh? That is what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside."

She thought for a moment, then remember something. "Oh! Though, there is something from Mount Yasogami… I think our dyed clothes of pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh wait, there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"

"Huh? It's… just an old inn," Yukiko told her.

"Oh, no way, it's been in all sorta magazines as a hidden treasure." Chie looked at Yu again. "It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. The inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba, It pretty much keeps this town going."

However, Yukiko looked troubled… "…I don't think that's entirely true."

"So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?" Chie suddenly asked Yu again, which took the boy off guard. What could he say to that? He's not attracted to girls because he's… agh, whatever. He'll play along. "Well, not really…"

"Wow, really? I think that's the first time I've heard someone say that." Chie was surprised at his answer. Most guys – scratch that, nearly all the guys in Yasoinaba High School would at least have something going on for Yukiko… and to hear Yu say that outright was kind of new.

Yukiko sighed. "Come on… don't start this again…"

"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?"

The black-haired girl blushed. "C-come on, stop it. Y-you shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend! Wait, no! Wh-what I meant to say was, I don't need a boyfriend! Geez… Chie!"

Chie laughed. "Hahaha! Sorry, sorry… but this is our chance to talk to somebody from the big city, and you barely said a word!" She then noticed something ahead. "Hey, what's that?"

They walked forward, reaching some kind of scene. From the gossip the housewives were talking, a dead body was found hanging from an antenna…

The three of them were shocked, naturally. "Wait… what did she just say? A dead body?!" Chie whispered, her eyes wide.

A familiar face approached them after they learned of that, who was apparently Yu's uncle. "Hey, what're you doing here?" he asked, looking suspiciously at them. "We're just passing by," Yu told him, which was really the truth. They didn't mean to stumble upon this.

"Huh… I should have figured that'd happen. That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here…"

Chie looked at Yu. "…You know this guy?"

The latter nodded in response. Ryotaro was a bit awkward at answering that question for his nephew. "I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian. Uh… well, how should I say this… I hope you get along with him. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home."

As Ryotaro was about to go back, a young man in a suit ran straight past them and began to vomit. This frustrated the detective. "Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?"

"I-I'm sorry… nngh…" The man apologized weakly. Ryotaro just sighed. "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information." With that, he went back to work, and the young man ran closely behind.

"Was this what that announcement was about…?" Chie murmured. "What do they mean, it was hanging from the antenna…?" Yukiko wondered.

"Hey, Yukiko…? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"

"Good idea…"

"Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbour, let's do our best!" Chie told Yu with a smile, then she left with Yukiko. Yu's calm look turned restless as he sighed. That was harder than he had thought it would be.

These two were noticeably friendly… but how long would that last?

Yu knew they would forget him. He would be alone in the end, even abandoned by his parents. There was no use trying to keep them close, even if they somehow became his friends. Hell, how would they react if they knew the new transfer student was a crossdressing girl?

That wouldn't bode well with anyone, would it…?

Yu decided to not ponder on the question and went back home after that.

* * *

 

It was just after dinner when the news came on about a dead woman found near the Samegawa River… in Inaba. It was the same place the incident had occurred…

The deceased was the announcer, Mayumi Yamano.

Nanako got worried when she heard that the case was being investigated by the Inaba Police Department, which her father worked at. Yu felt a little sorry for her. "…Are you worried about him?"

The little girl looked down silently. "…Uh-uh. It's his job, so things like this happen."

The report continued on, talking about how the body was found hanging on a large antenna. The causes of such a situation are unknown, and the police's plans have been delayed until tomorrow due to the thick fog.

Nanako got a little worried. "They found her on the roof? That's scary…"

The television then showed the Junes commercial. "Oh, it's Junes!" Nanako looked surprised, which turned into a big smile as the same tune played again. "Every day's great at your Junes!" She looked at Yu with some expectation, and he couldn't help but play along too.

"Your Junes!" he sang a bit, which sounded a little too feminine for his liking. It was a slightly higher pitch than the voice he used that was lower so it sounded like a usual teenage boy. It's tough, and sometimes got him a sore throat for continuing to do that, but for his cover… it's unavoidable.

Nanako giggled at it, not noticing the difference. "You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" She continued on singing, over and over again… it's like she forgot the news earlier already. Yu felt glad about it – better for her to keep happy than scared over something like that murder case…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui decided that she'll go to sleep early today. Adapting to the school and everything at once was immensely exhausting. There were so many things she had to keep track of – the homeroom teacher, her new school, the sudden murder case happening on her first _day_ in school…

It feels like a bad omen.

With a shake of her head, she went up to her room and quietly closed the door. It has only been day one of her life in Inaba… and it's drastically different from her life in the city. It was calm and quiet unlike the bustling city, though the murder case seems to have riled up the town a little. Hopefully it'll be solved soon.

"So much for the quiet life…" Yui spoke in her normal voice quietly. Setting her bag down, she began to undress from her school clothes, which was the standard boys uniform for Yasogami High School. If one looked very carefully, the sleeves of the jacket reached the middle of her palm… which meant that it was a bit big for her.

Of course, not many would bother to focus on that. Yui took precaution to make sure no one found out her act… and that meant cutting her hair short, wearing clothes for boys, act like a boy and speaking in a lower tone.

However, she knew if one was really observant, they may find that her appearance is a little different than every other guy in school. She was about the same height as any other girl, had a softer look to her face, and a smaller figure… her baggy clothes only managed to hide the curves.

…It's hard, hiding her true self.

Once she was finished with undressing from her school attire, she took off her chest binder and let out a sigh of relief. She started wearing this since her fifth grade… and the pressure still hurt sometimes. It worked well in making it so like her chest was flat.

Setting the chest binder down on her school clothes, she went to her duffel bag and took out her night clothes, dressing into it. It was a simple white long-sleeved shirt and black loose pants, comfortable and boyish. Her parents wouldn't let her wear nightgowns or something similar, even for sleeping.

She just got used to it over the years, to the point that she has no idea how a girl should act or feel like.

What will it matter, though? She had to dress as a man so she can lead the company when the time comes… even if she didn't want to. She had no choices in these matters. Only her family was doing it, even if it was against her will.

Yui just sighed and went to her futon, getting ready for bed. She almost expected that her mother would call again… but from the looks of it, that wasn't happening anytime soon.

She set her phone near the futon and let her eyes fall shut, drifting off to sleep…

* * *

 

The next morning, Yu was on his way to school when he barely dodged the same boy with the bike riding fast him quickly… and crashing into a trash bin, getting stuck in it and rolling around while still inside it. "S-someone…"

Yu silently sighed and decided to help him for once, getting the trash bin off and helping him up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The student was up with his bike again, all fine despite the crash. "Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Um… oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Yu Narukami. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya."

Yu nodded. "Nice to meet you too."

"Heheh. Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident…" Yosuke asked him, wondering about the case…

The silver-haired boy shrugged. "You might be right about it."

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that… that's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." Yosuke checked his watch and realized what time it was. "Oh crap, we're late! You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

"W-well…" Yu hesitated a little. Riding a bike with a guy… would've been awkward either as a girl or guy. But he's going to be late even if he ran to school. "…Fine, I'll go with you."

"Get on, then!" Yosuke made some space for the smaller boy, who got on the bike behind him self-consciously. Then the brunette began to ride the bike as quickly as they can before school began…

* * *

 

That afternoon, Yu was arranging his notes when Yosuke started talking to him.

"So, you getting used to this place?" The brunette asked, his arms crossed casually. Yu shook his head. "Not yet."

"Yeah, well, you just got here. There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great… oh, you know about the local delicacy?"

"What's that?"

"It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

Right after Yosuke offered that, Chie approached them both. "What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trial of the Dragon'?"

Yosuke sighed. "Urgh… you always come around when I'm talking about food…"

"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?" Chie asked Yukiko who was clearing some things up. The black-haired girl then got up, having finished what she was doing. "I'll pass… I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway."

"Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke was astonished at that.

"It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy. Well, I should be on my way." Yukiko then left the classroom.

Chie looked at both Yu and Yosuke. "Oh well. We should get going too."

"Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people…?" Yosuke felt troubled at that. Grilled steak wasn't exactly cheap, even if he knew a place that sold them cheap.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went to the Junes food court in town.

" _This_ is the cheap place you were talking about…? They don't have grilled steak here!" Chie complained. Yosuke had just got back from getting the food and sat down at the table. "Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans."

"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."

"Dude, this isn't my place or anything."

Yu just looked on in confusion. What were they talking about? Yosuke owned this place? That sounded impossible…

"Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh?" Yosuke finally noticed the look on the silver-haired boy's face. "I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it, so our entire family came out here."

He then grabbed a drink from the tray of food he brought. "Here, this is to welcome you to town."

Yu took a drink too silently.

"Satonaka, yours is on me too," Yosuke added, looking at Chie. "Yeah, I know," she replied while grabbing the last drink. They all did a toast and took a gulp from their drinks, then they started to have a conversation with small talk.

Chie started talking about the shopping district and how a lot of stores there started closing… but faltered when she noticed what she was talking about.

"…You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" Yosuke asked before he sighed. Then, he noticed a girl with dirty blonde hair sitting down at a nearby table. "Hey… it's Saki-senpai! Sorry, be right back."

"Who's that…?" Yu asked as Yosuke got up and approached Saki. "Oh, that's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district," Chie answered his question since Yosuke was a little busy. "…I think she's working here part-time, though."

"Huh." Yu glanced over at the two, but he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. After a few moments, Saki noticed him and approached him. "Are you the transfer student? Oh, did you hear about me already?" she asked with a small smile. "It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much."

"N-not necessarily…" Yosuke added in.

"He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you. Yu raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No, he's alright."

Saki giggled. "I know… I'm just kidding."

Yosuke laughed nervously. "C-c'mon, senpai. There's no need to worry about something like that."

"Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go… laters!" Saki then left. "Oh, uh, senpai…!" Yosuke called her, but she was too far already to hear him. He just sat back. "Haha, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me," he commented with a grin. "She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way…"

"Ohh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh? Oh, I get it… so that's how it is," Chie said, as if she finally learned something about the brunette boy. "The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain… the flame of forbidden love!"

"Wha--?! Dude, it's not like that." Yosuke blushed slightly at her words. A teasing smile appeared on Chie's lips. "Oh really… well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night.

While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen… and they say that person's your soulmate."

"What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful…" Yosuke commented on that. "How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?"

"Of course I don't!"

"Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out – then you'll see!"

"Try it out…? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself? Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…" Yosuke shook his head. "All that aside… you know that 'incident' yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around…? Hehe…"

"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who’s the childish one…? All I am saying is, you guys better try it out tonight."

Yu thought about it. The Midnight Channel, where one could supposedly see who their soulmate was on a rainy night at midnight… hm. No harm in trying it out.

* * *

 

Yu noticed how gloomy Nanako looked while they were eating dinner. He felt kind of sorry for her – he understood the kind of loneliness she felt, what with his own workaholic parents… "…Did your father call?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Nanako sighed. "No. He always says he will…"

However, after a moment, the sound of the sliding doors opening resonated through the house. Nanako's head rose in surprise. "Oh! He's home!" She got up, watching her father walk over to them both. "What a day…" Ryotaro murmured tiredly. "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"

"No. You're late again…" Nanako answered, somewhat reprimanding her own father too.

"I'm sorry… been busy at work." Ryotaro went to the sofa and sat on it, exhaustion evident in his movements. "Can you put the news on for me?"

Nanako had a look of frustration across her face for a few seconds before she sat back down and did as her father told her to do. The news was a follow-up report about the incident yesterday… they even managed to have an 'interview' with the student who found the reporter's dead body.

Yu couldn't help but feel like he has seen her before. Somewhere. Squinting his eyes, he noticed that she reminded him of Saki Konishi… Yosuke's senpai.

At the end of the news report, the Junes commercial played again with Nanako singing along with the small song. "Hey dad… can we go to Junes together sometime?" she asked, but Ryotaro was already asleep. She looked at him. "…No?" She sighed. "Geez…"

Dinner continued on quietly that night.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui went up to her room after she washed up, remembering Chie's words to watch the Midnight Channel tonight. While it might hurt a little to sleep much later than she should, it's better than to get yelled at Chie for not doing it.

Changing into her night clothes, she waited on her sofa until the clock was about to strike midnight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was dark. The sound of the pattering rain felt like a lullaby.

Her eyelids felt heavy with sleepiness, but Yui kept strong and watched the blank and faded screen of the TV, seeing her reflection in it. What she sees is her own deception, one she does not know whether to throw or to keep when the time comes, or if she has the courage to even do so.

Focusing back on the task at hand, she was reminded of Chie's words. Could her story about seeing her soulmate in the TV on the Midnight Channel really be true…?

By now, it was just a few seconds to midnight.

Getting up from the sofa with a huff, she approached the television and let her silver grey eyes stare into the darkened screen. She stared for a moment… and nothing happened. "…It was worth a shot…" she murmured to herself, turning around to go to her futon…

…And a light began to illuminate from behind her.

Yui paused in her steps and cautiously looked behind herself, seeing that the television was… actually activated. The screen showed static, but it kept showing flashes of a place… and a girl. The longer she stared at it, a voice abruptly began to speak in her head alongside a throbbing pain.

_"I am thou… and thou art I…"_

"A-aahh…" Yui held her head in agony, her ability to stand wavering dangerously. Sudden flashes of light from the thunder outside only made it worse, her eyes barely able to focus on anything…

_"Thou art the one who opens the door…"_

Her legs lost their strength, and she fell to the floor, panting heavily as the pain faded out with the voice. She lifted her head to look at the time, and it was a minute past midnight now. Slowly getting up, her hazy eyes saw that the television screen was black once more.

She couldn't believe what just happened was real… her eyes were wide, bewildered.

Yui decided to get closer and reach out a hand to the screen, to try and prove to herself that it wasn't real… she tapped on it, and what looked like ripples came from where she touched it. She paused for a good moment.

…Then, she let her hand get closer.

It went right _through_ the screen, and it got pulled in. "W-whaa--! Gyaaahh!"

She struggled to break free, pulling back against the force. Thankfully her television was small, so she only got in as much as her whole right arm, shoulders and head which managed to give her enough force to pull herself out.

Yui promptly fell back and hit her head against the wooden table behind her with a loud thump. "Ow!" She held her head, a dull ache now spreading through her skull. "Nngh…"

"Are you okay…?" Nanako's voice came from the door. Yui looked at it and quickly used a lower tone to speak, letting her arms fall. "Did I wake you up?"

"I heard a really loud noise… well, good night."

Yui could hear footsteps leaving the door, which told her that Nanako had gone back to her room. She looked back at the television, breathing heavily. What just _happened_?

She really needed to talk to the others about this tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only managed to write two chapters and we only got through about three days of the games... how slow. Well, the next chapter would finally reach the part where they enter the TV, so be on the lookout for updates. Oh, and my updates are very erratic, but I'll try to keep my inspiration up.
> 
> Oh, and if you're wondering why I keep switching between Yui and Yu, and the he and she pronouns, think of it as MC only thinking of himself as a guy when around or interacting with people, and letting her guard/masks down when alone. So, 'Yu' when he's with people, and 'Yui' when she's alone. Confusing... I know. But it's how I think. ;w;


	3. Backside of the TV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting complicated, yet everything has just started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another new chapter! The fun part hasn't been reached yet in this chapter though, but the next chapter will finally include the thing we all know and love... so please wait a little longer and enjoy the new part to this story.

The next day, in the afternoon…

Yu listened in on the gossip the other students were talking about while clearing his things out. They were still talking about the murder… he just focused on his own things until Yosuke approached him. "Y-Yo. Um… it's, uh, it's not really that important, but… well, yesterday on TV, I… oh, uhh… never mind. Look, I'll tell you later. Ahaha…"

The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow. This is odd of him.

Then, Chie joined in on the small talk. "Yosuke, did you hear the rumour? Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."

"I wonder if that's why she looked so down… she doesn't seem to be at school today either."

Sounds of footsteps alerted Chie to Yukiko getting up from her seat. "Huh? Hey Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?"

"Things are really out of hand right now… I'm sorry." Yukiko was looking fairly distressed and quickly left. Yosuke didn't miss that little detail. "Is it just me, or does Yukiko-san seem way stressed out today?" he questioned.

"I guess they're running her ragged… by the way, did you see… it… last night?" Chie mused before asking him.

"Huh…? Uh, well… what about you?"

"I did! I seriously saw a girl! But… my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure… her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and…"

Yosuke realised something. "Hey… I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier…"

"Wait, so you saw it too!? And we saw the same girl…? Does that mean… we have the same soulmate?"

"How should I know?" Yosuke looked at Yu. "How 'bout you? Did you see it?"

The smaller boy nodded. "I did. I saw the exact same thing as you two did… and I began hearing some kind of strange voice in my head, which made my head hurt. After all that had passed, I touched my TV screen to see if it wasn't real, and my hand got sucked through it and into the TV. Since my TV was too small though, it got me stuck so I managed to get out."

…Yu then noticed that both Yosuke and Chie were giving him disbelieving looks.

"It sounds like we all saw the same person… but weird voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV…? Were you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV," Yosuke told him.

"That'd be one interesting dream, though. I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic. Well, if it had been bigger, the—" Chie added, though she was reminded of something else while she was somewhat mocking Yu's dream. "Ohh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."

"Oh yeah? Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month," Yosuke offered to her.

"Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! Hwa-taaaa!" The athletic girl then did a pose that looked a lot like it was from a kung-fu movie.

"We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into, heheh," Yosuke said the last sentence to Yu who glared a little at him, almost like a peeved girl. They really didn't believe him at all… guess he'll just have to go to Junes with them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They all went to Junes, at the electronics department.

Standing in front of a huge flatscreen television, Chie was flabbergasted at the size and price of it. "Wow, this is huge! And… holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"

Yosuke shrugged. "I dunno… rich folks? Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."

"Huh… not worth trying then, I guess. Well, at least looking's free."

Chie and Yosuke looked at each other for a short moment. The both of them then approached the television and touched the screen. "…Nope, can't get in. Figures," Yosuke commented. Chie laughed a bit. "Haha, this proves it. It was all just a dream."

"Besides, these flat-screen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side… argh, what am I saying!? So, Chie. What kind of TVs are you guys in the market for?"

"O-Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap. You got any suggestions?"

They walked away to the smaller televisions nearby, while Yu just kept looking at the television they had been staring at earlier. Something was bothering him about it. With a TV this big, he might really be able to go inside… well, if he wanted to prove to himself if it was all just a dream…

He reached a hand out to touch the screen.

It went straight through it.

Yu could hear Yosuke's voice asking about his opinion before it became silent.

"Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" Chie asked the brunette boy. "I-is his arm… in the TV…?" Yosuke sounded shocked. The brunette girl then turned around, finally seeing Yu with his hand in the TV. "Whoa… uhhh… is that some kinda… new model? L-Like with a new function?"

"Hell no!"

They ran over to Yu, who wasn't exactly sure whether he was happy or frightened to be proven right of what happened to him. "You gotta be kidding me… did you really stick your hand through the screen?" Chie questioned him worriedly.

"Oh man… this is for real… that's some magic trick, man! So how's it work, huh!? What's the magician's secret!?" Yosuke joined in, staring with wide eyes. "There's no secret…!" Yu told them with a nervous look. Looking at the TV, he wondered if he would be able to put in more than just his arm…

So he stepped up onto the table and put his head in. He only saw… nothing. Just space.

"H-hey, don’t do that! What're you doing!?" Yosuke shouted at him, panicking. This was getting out of hand… "Oh my God!" Chie was shaken at what she saw. "There's empty space inside…" Yu told them calmly, though he still felt nervous at his actions.

"Wh-What do you mean, 'inside'!?" Yosuke nearly screeched. "Wh-What do you mean, 'empty space'!?" Chie was almost the way Yosuke was.

"It's pretty spacious in here…" Yu added.

"Wh-What do you mean, 'spacious'!?" "I mean, what's going on!?" Yosuke and Chie were nearly losing it… "Holy crap… I-I think this is all too much for my bladder…" The brunette boy suddenly spoke out, trying to hold it in.

Yu would've facepalmed if he could. What the hell?

"What the--? Are you gonna pee your pants?!" Chie glanced at him incredulously. "I've been holding it in all day! I-I haven't had a chance to go… aaarrgh! Can't… hold it… anymore…!" Yosuke ran off, but he quickly ran back. "Shit! Customers! They're coming!"

"What!? But we've got a guy half stuck in a TV here! Wh-What're we gonna do!?"

The two panicked as they tried to find a way to deal with this but ended up bumping into Yu and falling into the TV with him.

"What the!? W-wait— _WHOA_!!"

…It felt like they were going to fall for eternity.

* * *

 

But of course, there would always be a bottom to everything. _Almost_.

The three of them fell down roughly, nearly falling on their heads but instead landing on their backs or bottoms. As they sat up, they found that they weren't in Junes anymore… but rather, a foggy area with a yellowish hue, and some lighting that was coming from somewhere.

Once they got up, they took another look around themselves.

"Haa… so… uh… we're still alive… right?" Chie asked, a little confused. "Yeah… but are you guys okay?" Yu answered her, though he was concerned for them both too. "I think my butt's cracked now…" Yosuke muttered, wincing a little. "Of course it is!" Chie retorted.

Yosuke ignored her and looked around some more, before looking up. "Whoa!"

"Wh-What now!? Did you wet your pants!?"

"No, stupid! Look around!"

If one were to look closely enough, they could see their surroundings through the fog… they were in some kind of stage. Or studio.

"Is this… a studio? All this fog… or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there…?" Chie wondered quietly. "Hell no… but man… this place is huge…" Yosuke was just as taken aback as she was.

"What're we gonna do…?"

"We need to head home, that's what," Yu spoke up, rubbing her neck. It ached slightly from the fall, her body much frailer than a boy's, though no one knew that about her.

"G-Good plan! Look, we need to get home and--! H-Huh…?" Chie looked around. "Wait a minute… which way did we come in from? I don't see a way in… or out!"

"What? That can't be right! H-How could that be!?" Yosuke looked very afraid at that observation. Were they actually stuck here?

"I don't know! Don't ask me! I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!!"

"Okay… so how!?"

Yu sighed. "Let's calm down. We'll just look for a way out." Surprisingly, the training he got to become the heir for his grandfather's company was helping him a lot in keeping calm in tense situations, just so he didn't break down during deals when he finally works there. Not that he wanted to.

"Y-Yeah, an exit! We need to find one! Let's calm down and think about this. All right, so we need to find a way out.”

"Is there really a way outta here…?" Chie had doubt in her voice.

"We got in… so we must be able to get out somehow."

"That's true, but…"

"If there's no exit, we're trapped, so let's cross our fingers and look around."

So, they began to walk around the place, trying to find a way out of there.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As expected, they didn't get much progress, other than the fact that they've arrived in some kind of hallway.

"What is this place…? It feels different from where we were before…" Chie murmured. "It looks like we're in some kinda building, but… damn, this fog's so thick, I can hardly see," Yosuke was squinting as hard as he can to see anything.

"Are you sure we're not wandering further away?"

"I can't be positive, but we've gotta trust our instinct a little."

"I know, but…"

They really had no other choice for now, but to continue onward.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Entering the doorway at the end of the hall, they entered a fairly… creepy room.

"Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke asked, looking around the room. He checked his phone, then sighed. "No service. What a surprise…"

"Can't you guys slow down a little? It's hard enough to see where you're going… huh? What the…!?" Chie has just arrived, but even she could see that there was no exit. "It's a dead end! There's no exit!'

"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go… aargh! I can't hold it any longer… my bladder's gonna explode…!" Yosuke then ran over to the wall as Chie and Yu stared at him in shock. "Yosuke!? What're you doing!?" Chie couldn’t believe what he was doing.

"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!"

"You're going here!? Oh, you have got to be kidding…"

"T-Turn around! I can't go if everyone's watching!" The brunette boy tried to go… but he couldn’t when both Yu and Chie were still there. "Aaaaargh… I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!"

"Like I care… anyways… what's with this room? Check out these posters… their faces are all cut out… somebody must really hate this person…"

Posters were pasted all over the walls, the faces in them cut out. There were also splatters of red colour on the walls… Yu would rather not to think much about it, just in case it was exactly what he thought it was.

He also did not miss the chair and the rope hanging about it, with a scarf tied as a noose at the end of the rope…

"Dude… this chair and rope… that kind of arrangement is never good…" Yosuke looked at it nervously. "It's tied in a noose… Is this a scarf?"

"C'mon… let's go back to where we came from, and look somewhere else for an exit…" Chie wanted to leave. This place was too creepy.

"Hey… I think I've seen that poster before…"

"Who CARES!? Let's go! I am sick of this place! And I'm not feeling so good…"

"Now that you mention it, me too…"

The fog made everything _feel_ heavy. Yu felt like he could collapse with how 'heavy' he felt. Could it be due to this place's oppressive atmosphere?

Yosuke finally agreed. "Alright, let's go back. I'm seriously starting to feel sick…"

They quickly left the room and went back to the 'studio'.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The three of them gathered there, still with no exit.

"Whew… we finally made it back here…" Chie panted slightly. The fog was making it hard to breathe, too. She became on high alert when she spotted something through it, though. "Wait… What's that…?"

"Th-There's something over there!" Yosuke saw it too. So did Yu, who saw some kind of outline through the misty air… and it somewhat looked like a bear? When it got closer, he realized that it _did_ look like a bear.

"What is this thing? A monkey? A bear…?" Chie wondered about it. "What in the world…?" Yosuke's eyes were wide. The last thing they expected was for it to actually _talk_.

"Th-that's what I wanna know! Who are you guys…?"

Chie gasped, taking a step back. "It talked! Uhh… what are you! Y-You wanna fight!?"

"D-Don't yell at me like that…" The bear cowered in fear. Yu wondered if it's better to ask him nicely… "What is this place?" he asked softly. The bear looked up at him slowly. "This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name… it's where I live."

"You… live here?" Yosuke sounded incredulous.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

"Huh? Throwing people in? What're you talking about?"

"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!"

Chie did not take that well. "Hey, what's your problem? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that?! What ARE you!? Where are we!? What the heck's going on here!?"

The bear then ran towards Yu and hid behind him, cowering in fear from the brunette girl. Yu sighed and just let him stand there. "I already told you… a-anyways, you should hurry back," The bear told them. "What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right? Well, so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!" Yosuke yelled at the bear.

"Urrrrgh! That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"

"Like I keep saying, we don't know where the frickin' exit- wait… what?"

The bear stepped away from being behind Yu and tapped the floor, causing a stack of televisions to appear in the middle of the studio.  "What the hell!?" Yosuke looked at the stack up and down, wondering where the hell it came from. "Wh-Where did these TVs come from!?" Chie just asked outright. Yu went around it to take a closer look.

"Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" The bear then suddenly began to push them into the stack…

"What's going on now!? Whoa! Hey, what're you doing!?" "S-Stop pushing!"

That same falling sensation ran through their bodies once again. This time…

* * *

 

…They landed right back in Junes, in a heap.

"Huh? Is this…?" "Did we… make it back?"

Yu looked around, slightly disoriented. It did look like Junes… maybe they were finally back.

 _"Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!"_ An announcement rang out.

Yep, they've definitely returned to the 'real world'.

"Crap, it's already that late!?" Yosuke couldn’t believe the time already. "Looks like we were in there for quite awhile…" Chie guessed. They all got up slowly… and the brunette boy saw something from the corner of his eyes. "That's right… now I remember where I saw that poster before… look over there! That's the poster we saw!"

Over there, near a television, was a poster of that enka singer. The one whose husband was having a relationship with the recently deceased female reporter.

"Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi…" Chie noticed it too. "She's been all over the news lately. Something about… her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day."

"Hey, so does that mean…? That weird room we saw… could it be related to that Yamano lady's death…? Now that I think about it… there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling…" Yosuke then abruptly stopped and shook his head. "Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore."

"I'm feeling a chill too… let's go home… I wanna lie down and rest."

Yu had to agree with them. He still felt sluggish and cold from his experience in… whatever that was. The rain had nothing to do with the chill in their bodies.

* * *

 

When Yu got back home, he saw that Ryotaro and Nanako were already there.

"Hey, welcome home," his uncle greeted. They were about to eat ramen, from the looks of it. Yu nodded tiredly in response, still feeling sluggish as he sat down with them.

"Uh- hmm… well, I doubt you'd know… but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?" Ryotaro pondered for a moment before asking. Yu's thoughts then went to Yosuke who had said that he did not see her in school earlier. "She wasn't at school today, apparently…" he answered.

"Oh. I see… to be honest… we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet…" The detective sighed. " Work just keeps piling up…"

The news channel on the TV began to report on the murder case again. The police found out that the deceased reported had been staying at the Amagi Inn… the one Yukiko's family ran. The weather report just stated that heavy fogs will be coming over to Inaba tonight.

Saki Konishi's whereabouts are still unknown too. One can only hope she's alright.

Nanako looked at her father. "Is the ramen ready now?"

"Give it some more time," Ryotaro told her. Yu gripped the hem of the sleeves to his oversized jacket, shivering as a child hit him… then suddenly he sneezed. "Achoo!" He quickly covered his mouth, afraid that his uncle might notice the change in tone in his voice from that. A small blush appeared on his cheeks, which made him lower his head slightly.

Thankfully, Ryotaro didn't notice it. "Are you sick? You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?" he asked his daughter. Nanako got up and went to get the medicine.

The detective looked at his nephew who had uncovered his mouth. "You should get to bed right after you take it," he told him. Yu silently nodded – better that he go to sleep early then, after taking the medicine.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui stayed up in her futon for a few more moments, wondering about the events that happened earlier.

There was a whole other world in the television. She, Yosuke and Chie fell into that world after she let her hand enter through the screen… and what was up with that strange room? Everything was so foggy and cold, it was difficult to make sense of it all.

Shaking her head, she pulled the futon over her body just enough to leave only her neck and head exposed. No use pondering on something like this… she'll just go to sleep. The medicine was starting to have its effect on her, making her feel drowsy… and soon, she dozed off.

* * *

 

When Yu got up the next morning, he saw his uncle leave.

"Ah, you're up. Well, I'm off," Ryotaro said as he left. The silver-haired boy looked at Nanako who had a worried expression on her face. "…Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left," she told him. "Is that so…" Yu glanced at the door.

Wonder what the ruckus was…?

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu walked through the flood plains, he could hear the gossiping from other students.

Something about police cars, and he could definitely hear sirens in the distance. Another incident must've happened… well, he had no business here. He needed to get to school, either way.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Instead of going to class though, they were called for an assembly.

Yu could hear all the gossiping around him, the students talking about if they had seen 'it' yesterday. Chie was standing in front of him while Yosuke stood to his right… but Yukiko was nowhere to be seen.

"Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch…I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden," Chie mused quietly as she checked her phone. She looked at the brunette boy who seemed to be deep in thought. "…Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?"

"O-oh, it's nothing." Yosuke quickly shrugged it off.

Two teachers stepped up to the stage. It was Ms. Sofue and the principal. The former stood up to the podium first. "Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say."

She stepped back, letting the elderly principal approach the podium. "I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you."

What the man said next was something the trio could _never_ expect.

"One of our third-year students, Miss Saki Konishi of Class 3… has _passed away_."

This brought a sudden silence to the hall.

"Passed away…!?" Chie whispered, horrified at the news. Yosuke fell silent. Yu could only stare at the principal in silent shock. Another murder case on what was her fourth day in Inaba… it really was a bad omen. Who knows how many more people will be murdered like this?

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning… the reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you as students of this school to provide only the facts. All right, please quiet down… I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police but to anyone who asks…" The principal continued on.

"Found dead…? How could this happen…?" Chie looked at both Yu and Yosuke, only wondering of what's to come for the town of Inaba. Yu noticed how silent Yosuke had become since the news just left the principal's mouth, and how droning the sound of gossiping was as nearly everyone kept talking about Saki's death.

…She knew this kind of thing all too well. Press conferences by chairmen of companies or the begs of forgiveness by the higher-ups… this was similar to that principal's actions.

That man's just saving his own hide.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On their way to class, Yu and Chie overhead a pair of students' gossiping about the murder.

Chie could only sigh. "Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved…" she commented. Yu nodded solemnly. "That's how the world works, though…" he whispered, reminded of his own life in the city.

Yosuke approached them from behind. "Hey… did you guys check out the TV last night?"

Chie looked at him disapprovingly. "Yosuke! Not you too!"

"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so… I watched it again, and…I think the girl on the screen… was Saki-senpai. There's no mistaking it… Senpai looked like… she was writing in pain. And then… she disappeared from the screen."

Yu and Chie glanced at each other. It sounded crazy, yet…

"Maybe… just maybe, but… Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too," Yosuke added. Chie cocked her head. "What's that supposed to mean…? Hold on… are you saying… people who appear on that TV… die…?"

"I can't say for sure. But something tells me… I just can't dismiss it as coincidence."

The brunette girl was silent for once.

"Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears…? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall… it has to have something to do with the announcer's death. I mean… don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!?" Yosuke looked at Yu. "Well…? What do you think…?" he asked, wanting an opinion.

Yu thought about it. It sounded preposterous, but there was some definite sense to it too. Based on what they've discovered and just experience, it's possible that his explanation just answered the question to how the murders were done. "…You might be right, Yosuke."

"…So it's not just me, huh? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room. Which means… if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too."

Chie noticed the way Yosuke worded it. "Yosuke, don't tell me…"

"Yeah… I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself."

"D-Don't do this… you should just let the police hand this and-"

Yosuke then suddenly lashed out. "You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine… it's just… I need to know why Senpai had to die like this."

"Oh, Yosuke…"

…Yosuke was right, though. If these murders had a connection to that other world in the television, the police in the real world are going to be merely useless in solving them.

"After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now…" The brunette boy admitted. He looked at Yu. "Sorry… but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes." Then, he ran off.

Chie sighed and turned her head to look at Yu. "I can kinda understand how he feels… but we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again. What should we do…?" she asked him. Yu did feel inclined to help Yosuke out, but he also knew it was dangerous. What if the brunette ended up stuck there? He'll be the one to get murdered if his theory was right.

The silver-haired boy sighed with a shake of his head. "We need to stop him before he does something reckless," he answered with conviction. Chie nodded in agreement. "…Yeah, I agree." She glanced at where Yosuke just ran off, getting worried. "Uh… anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone…"

"Right."

The two of them quickly headed there…

* * *

 

When the two arrived at the electronics department, Yosuke was already prepared with rope and a golf club. He smiled upon seeing them both. "You guys came…!"

Chie shook her head. "We came to stop you, idiot! C'mon… You really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous," she told him, trying to shake him off of this dangerous idea.

"I know… but we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."

"'Maybe' isn't good enough!"

"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me."

"That's true, but…"

"What about you? Could you just walk away?" Yosuke finally asked Yu.

The silver-haired boy felt the same as Yosuke did, but… he didn't want to put anyone else in danger. "Well, no… but I'm worried about Chie," he answered. There's no telling what may happen over there – better to have lesser casualties.

It's another trait he had to learn from his training for taking over the company. Learn to risk your successes with lesser people, so if something went wrong… there would be lesser casualties, especially when his grandfather's company experimented a lot with colour types.

"Yeah, it'll be just you and me. Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan," Yosuke reaffirmed him. He then looked at the brunette girl. "Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this."

Chie glanced at the loops of rope around Yosuke's arm. "Huh? What's that? A rope…?"

"We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here."

"Wh-What? Then, is this a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec…"

Yosuke didn't listen to her and focused back on Yu. "Here, Yu… This is for you." He gave the smaller boy a golf club and some bandages and ointments he had picked up along the way here. "I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed."

His expression then became serious. "Alright… Let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!" He looked at Yu and nodded at each other before they both began to walk towards the television, ready to plunge themselves into that other world again.

"H-Hey! I said wait!" Chie protested, however, she was already too late.

They've gone in.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile…

Chie held on tightly to the rope as the two went inside the television. She looked at it worriedly and slowly began to pull it out… yet horror set in as the rope suddenly fell out of it, having been cut short by _something_. She fell onto her knees, disbelief in her eyes. The rope didn't work. "See…? I knew this wasn't gonna work…" she whispered, terrified of what will become of her friends there. "Now what…?"

* * *

 

Yu felt like he had been falling forever… but was torn out of his thoughts when he crashed down onto the floor alongside Yosuke.

"Gah…" The silver-haired rubbed his back, trying to numb down the ache that was starting to rise up. Yosuke groaned in pain too. "Owww…"

After a moment, the two of them got up.

"Is this…? Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" Yosuke noticed that as he looked around. A somewhat familiar voice then came from ahead of them, that obviously belonged to that bear they met the day before.

"Y-You guys… Why'd you come back…?" The bear approached them, his voice suddenly turning accusatory. "I get it! You're the ones behind this!"

"You're that thing from last time…! Wait, what the hell did you just say!?"

"Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up…" The bear told them, turning around so his back was to them. "This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you in." He turned around, looking angry. "That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, raaaawr!"

Yu shook his head. This bear has got to be kidding. "Don't label us like that."

"What're you talking about, 'throwing people in'!? If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a-" Yosuke paused in his yelling. "Wait a sec… all this talk about someone throwing people in here… does he mean Senpai and the announcer? Did that 'someone' throw those two in here?" He looked at his friend. "H-Hey… What do you think?"

"That must be it. There's no doubt about it," Yu said, firm in his answer.

"Yeah… I agree. Let's assume he's telling the truth… could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them…? If that's the case…"

The bear started stomping the floor angrily. "What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways!? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?"

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli—" He looked at the rope tied to his waist, and only then did he and Yu notice that the line had broken when they entered this world.

Oh no.

"Whaaaat!?" The brunette held the rope in shock. Then he looked at the bear. "H-Hey! You better let us out once we're done investigating here!"

The bear stomped the ground again a few times. "Grrrrr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me that you're not throwing people in here!"

Yu was growing slightly frustrated at this. This bear was throwing so many accusations towards their way when they've just came to this world for the first time yesterday! "Just shut the hell up…!" he said through grit teeth.

The bear just became more convinced in his conviction. "See! So it is you guys!"

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you!" Yosuke yelled at oddly coloured bear. "Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world… Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"

This time, the bear's tone turned curious. "A dead body? Whenever the fog appears…? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." Then it hit him. "Aaaah… I get it…"

"Huh…? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here…? Shadows get violent…?"

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!"

"I've told you and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you… why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying!?"

"I-I'm just saying… you might be the culprits. I'm just making sure…"

"What…? Man, this bear's driving me nuts… what is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio… is something being filmed here…?" Yosuke then thought of something. "H-Hey, don't tell me… Is that weird show being filmed here!?"

"Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?"

"Uh… I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here."

"Eh…? I don't get it… this world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here."

Now Yu's head hurt at all this information. Literally nothing made sense, not in the way the real world did, anyway. "Always been like this…?" he asked, looking slightly puzzled. The bear turned to face him. "Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!"

"Ugh… we don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume!? I'd say it's time you showed your face!" Yosuke got frustrated and went towards the bear, grabbing its head...

…And when he pulled, it came right _off_. It was totally empty, and the bear's body still _moved_.

"Whoa!" Yosuke took a step back, his eyes wide with shock. "Wh-What the hell are you…? I-It's empty inside…"

The bear's body moved slightly before it found its head and promptly put it on again. "…Me…? The culprit…? I wouldn't do such a thing… I just live here… I just want to live here peacefully…" it murmured, now looking saddened.

Yosuke didn’t know what to say. Neither did Yu. This bear is just a resident of this world, apparently…

After a few seconds of silence, the bear looked at the two with a serious expression, however serious he  could look with those wide eyes it had. "Okay. I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else… I'm not gonna let you guys outta here."

…He had a very effective threat, admittedly.

Yosuke grit hit teeth. "Y-You little…!"

"This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then… and then… I… waaah…" The bear somehow began to cry…

"Wh-What're you crying for all of a sudden? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out…"

Yu bit his lip in silence, only hearing the bear's cries of sorrow. The bear was actually asking them to find the culprit behind the murders… which meant that someone on the outside was throwing people into this world. The bear was very serious about asking them to find this culprit.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Yosuke asked him on what should they do.

His thoughts went to that odd dream with Igor and Margaret. A misfortune… a mystery, an incident. It all… actually made sense now.

_"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you…"_

This was the mystery, yet Yu didn't know what Igor meant by 'contract'… though finding the culprit and solving the case could be part of this little contract. Then again, he and Yosuke would need the bear's help to leave this world, so… there was no other choice but to accept.

"You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me…?" The bear asked, looking at them both with sadness and hope in his wide eyes. Yu mentally sighed, realizing what he was getting himself into. If this was his fate for the year, then so be it.

He's gone through worse before.

"I promise."

Upon hearing those words, the bear looked at the silver-haired boy happily. "Th-thank you!"

Yosuke was dismayed at how things ended up. "Damn bear… practically holding a gun to our heads… but… it's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh…? Bring it on! You got my word, too. Might as well introduce ourselves… I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy, Yu Narukami. You got a name?" he introduced himself and Yu before asking.

"…Teddie," The bear answered.

Really, they should've seen it coming by now. It was too easy.

Yosuke groaned. "Figures… but how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

"I dunno… oh, but I know where the last person came in."

"The last person…? You mean Saki-senpai!?"

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, one thing first. You two should put these on." Teddie then gave both Yu and Yosuke a pair of glasses each.

The frame for Yu's glasses were black like the uniforms they wore, while Yosuke's was a bright orange colour.

"What're these classes for…?" Yosuke examined the glasses before putting them on at the same time with Yu. Instantly, their visions became much clearer through the fog. "Whoa! The difference is like night and day… with these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist," Yosuke commented, astonished at the difference.

Teddie smiled. "They'll help you walk through the fog… well, I've been here for a long time. So you can rely on me! Uh… But I can only show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves."

"What happened to relying on you!? Th-There better not be any monsters! You understand!? We brought weapons, but I mean… They're more for show! We just got here! If it's so dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!?"

"Uh uh. No way. I've got no muscles. Oh! Oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"

Yu wasn't exactly convinced. Can Teddie really not fight? There's only one way to find out… he approached the bear and gingerly touched the bear on the head… and Teddie promptly fell backwards like a turtle stuck on its back, waving his limbs. "N-noooo…"

"Guess he really can't…" Yu murmured, not exactly surprised either. Yosuke would've facepalmed himself right there, but he didn't. "I-Is this thing for real!? Ugh, this is so lame… we swore to find the culprit, and this is all the backup we get…?"

Teddie eventually gave up on trying to get up, still on his back. "…Oh yeah. Can I ask you something? Who's this Saki-senpai person? Someone you know?" he asked curiously.

The brunette boy was silent for a moment. "…That doesn't matter right now…" He looked at his friend. "Anyways, at least now we know Senpai might have been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information, too. Let's get moving, Yu."

The two then started to leave the area, about to leave Teddie behind as well.

"W-waaaait!" The bear called, flailing his limbs again. "Oh Teddie…" Yu sighed and went to help Teddie up before they finally headed off.

Whatever that lies ahead of them now… it'll be something they never experienced nor encountered before.


	4. I Am Thou, Thou Art I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shadow lies in everyone's hearts. Even if they refuse to admit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we're reaching the main parts of the game now. Though the main parts of this fanfic is still further away... if you know what I mean, wink wink nudge nudge. Anyway, fourth chapter! Man I'm writing a lot.
> 
> Also, reviews and kudos are always appreciated. No flames please, you should know if you don't like the story then don't read it...

Teddie led both Yu and Yosuke to their destination, which looked like a run-down version of Inaba's central shopping district… the sky was a constant alternating of red and black lines, everything had a dull yellowish colour to them, and the atmosphere just felt… heavy.

The two boys looked around in confusion. "What is this place…? It looks just like the shopping district…" Yosuke wondered as he kept looking around. "What's going on here!?"

"Some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting so tangled, I dunno what to do…" Teddie told them.

"Uh… by the way, why are you standing so far from us? …You better not be planning to high-tail it if something does come up."

"Of course not! I mean. Uh, I can't stand too close, you know. I'd get in your way…"

"Hrrrm… man, they really went all out on this… but out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?"

"How should I know? This is reality for the one who's here."

The brunette sighed. "As usual, nothing you say makes any sense… but if this is our shopping district, we're not far from Saki-senpai's…" He then ran off towards a place, at which Yu and Teddie quickly followed him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They eventually stopped at some kind of liquor store with a strange red light pouring from the door, with the same black and red lines alternating from it… somewhat like a portal.

"I knew it…! This is the liquor store that Senpai's parents run." Yosuke looked at the store, recognizing it easily despite the run-down appearance it had. "Does this mean… Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened…?"

Teddie then noticed something in that very moment. "W-Wait a second. Th-They're here!"

"What?"

"…Shadows. I had a feeling they were going to attack…!"

Yu then looked at the doorway, sensing something too. Soon, two blue masks emerged from the portal which fell out to the ground, some sludge attached to the back of the masks. Once they landed, the sludge grew bigger until it formed a body for both of the masks.

"Wha…!" Yosuke fell back, horrified at the sight. Yu remembered how Teddie had talked about shadows being the other things that lived in this TV world… and he now knew what that bear meant. These shadows looked merely like blobs of darkness, yet they did not retain that form for long.

The two shadows began to move towards the two at a fast pace, when the sludge from both masks floated up to form large spheres of darkness. The dark colour of the sludge cleared up to reveal black and white stripes, before the shadows spun around to also reveal a pair of red slit eyes and a large mouth that bore red lips with a giant tongue.

Yu stared at the shadows with wide eyes… then something snapped inside of him.

_"I am thou… thou art I…"_

"Nnghh…!" He held his head in pain, bending over slightly as his eyes shut tightly. Not this throbbing sensation again… his ears were ringing with a high-pitched tone, but that voice…

_"The time has come… open thy eyes and call forth what is within…!"_

…The pain soon faded.

Yu opened his eyes and felt something in his hand, so he looked at it. That 'something' was just like one of the tarot cards Igor used… he flipped it over, which showed only a dark image. Yet, the card began to glow a bright shine and he couldn't find it in himself to look away.

A word came to his mind.

He knew what it was.

What it is.

In a whisper so quiet, he said it.

 "…Per _…_ so _…na."_

The card promptly burst into blue flames as a silhouette appeared from where the black image used to be. He held it in front of him, a small azure blaze now in his hand… and he gripped it tightly, further intensifying the fire. Yu felt a burst of power come forth to him, and with that he _screamed_.

"Rrggh… _aaaahhhhhhh!!_ "

Pillars of blue flames rose around him, blinding everything in a blue light… until finally, a shadow figure appeared behind him. Although he wasn't sure what it was exactly, he knew that it was on his side.

The two shadows grew enraged.

They attacked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu found himself in battle with the two shadows, armed with only a golf club. However, with his newfound strength, he may be able to turn the tide in his favour. He heard Teddie call him from nearby. "Hey, stay calm and listen!"

The silver-haired boy nodded while still keeping his gaze on the shadows. "What is it?" he called back.

"Some shadows have weaknesses, and these shadows definitely have one! If you can pinpoint that weakness and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier! Try stuff out and see what works!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Yu focused on the battle now. He decided to attack one of the shadows, swinging the golf club as hard as he could at it. "Haahh!" He swung it against the shadow, inflicting some damage, but not much.

"I'll keep track of how attacks affect the enemies!" Teddie added. Yu's turn had already ended, and currently he needed to try and hold off the attack.

Now it was the shadows' turn, and both swung their tongues at him which had a burning sensation when it touched his skin. "Gah!" He stumbled back, flinching. These shadows are really seriously trying to kill him…

Then Yu remembered.

He smirked.

"Come forth, _Izanagi_!" He called to his Persona, who appeared behind him with a strong presence. Like instinct, he pointed at the shadow he had attacked earlier and shouted, "Zio!"

With the sound of thunder came a bolt of lightning that struck the shadow, and it dissipated into dark mist as it disappeared. "You got its weakness!" Teddie told him. Yu nodded again, and since he had gained another chance to attack, he quickly cast Zio on the remaining shadow.

This time, it fell onto the ground, weakened. He finished it off with a swing of his golf club.

The battle has been won.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Izanagi floated in the air before Yu, staring down at him. A moment after, Izanagi disappeared and turned back into a tarot card that faded back into the depths of his heart. Yu has faced his other self… and has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships – the Persona Izanagi.

Then exhaustion hit him.

Yu bent forward, holding himself up by placing his hands on his knees while he panted. Upon hearing footsteps, he turned his head to notice Yosuke running up to him. "Whoa… wh-what was that?!" he asked with wide eyes. Of course, he would be shocked; it wasn't everyday one was in a television and see a kid fight crazy tongue monsters with a golf club and supernatural powers.

"Did I hear you say 'Persona'!? What was it- I mean, what did you do!? Hey, you think I can do it too…?" Yosuke kept asking but Yu was out of breath to even answer them all at the moment. "Calm down, Yosuke. You're troubling Sensei!" Teddie scolded him.

"S-Sensei…?"

Teddie now focused on Yu. "Gosh almighty! You're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you!" Then he gasped. "Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world?"

Yu could only nod. It was because of him they were able to pass into the TV.

"Hah! That's what I thought! This is really something. Don't you think so, Yosuke?" Teddie looked at the brunette who now got annoyed. "Dude, you call him Sensei and then don't show me any respect!?" Yosuke complained, pushing Teddie down.

The bear easily got up this time since he could recoil the push to get himself up immediately. "Sorry…"

"W-Well, your support wasn't bad, though. I gotta give you some credit for that."

"Huh? R-Really…? Heehee."

"All right, you two keep it up, and I think we'll be fine from here on out," Yosuke commented with a confident smile. Yu soon managed to catch his breath and straightened up, which the brunette took as a sign that they were ready to continue.

"Now, let's get back to the investigation! Man… I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here."

The three of them approached the door… and suddenly, voices began to speak from all directions.

_"I wish Junes would go under… it's all because of that store…"_

Yosuke looked around, startled. "Wh-What the…?"

_"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there." "Oh my… How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is…? I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."_

"S-Stop it…"

_"That poor father… to have his own daughter working for the enemy. What a troublesome child…"_

This unsettled the brunette boy. "H-hey… hey, Ted! You said that this place is reality for those that are here, right!? So... does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here…?"

"I… only know about what's over here…" Teddie could only answer that much.

"Fine… whatever's going on here… we'll find out ourselves!"

They entered the liquor store.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The voices started up again once they got inside.

"Dammit, not again…" Yosuke gritted his teeth as he was forced to hear what the voices said again. This time, it was a man yelling.

_"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!?"_

Yu looked up at the ominous ceiling - though appearing unfazed by the voices, he was unsettled too. Yosuke blinked a few times. "I-Is this… Senpai's dad…?"

_"You know what the neighbours say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE, of all places!"_

"I… I can't believe this… she seemed like she had fun at work… she never said anything like this to me… you're telling me THIS was how Senpai really saw things!?"

The voices stopped again.

"We should look around some more, Yosuke," Yu told him. Yosuke could only nod in response, then they approached the table in the middle of the store. There were a bunch of pictures on it… "These photos… hey… is this…?" The brunette noticed something, picking it up. "It's the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes… wh-why's it cut up like this…?"

The scrap of photo showed Saki Konishi smiling… with Yosuke standing next to her.

This time, it was Saki's voice that spoke out.

_"I… never had the chance to say it…"_

"Is that… Senpai's voice!?" Yosuke looked around, trying to find where the voices were coming from.

_"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…"_

"Huh…? Me…?"

_"…that he was a real pain in the ass. I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all… but he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic… what a dip."_

"P-pain in the ass…?"

_"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbours talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear…"_

"I-It's a lie… this can't be… Senpai's not like that…!"

A different voice spoke from behind the two, this time sounding very familiar. " ** _It's… so sad… I feel so sorry for myself… boo hoo…_** "

Yu and Yosuke turned around in alarm, seeing something emerge from the shadows… and it was another Yosuke, except he didn't have the glasses, a menacing dark blue aura surrounding his form… and his eyes were a striking yellow. "What…" The silver-haired boy looked between his friend and the one that just appeared. There were _two_ Yosuke's?

The one from the shadows crossed his arms smugly, a smirk on his lips. " ** _Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass. Hahaha…_** "

"H-Huh? Two Yosukes…?" Even Teddie was confused at the sight. The real Yosuke grew cautious. What the hell is that guy saying? "Who are you!? I-I wouldn't think that…"

" ** _Hahaha… yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!_** " The fake Yosuke spoke with such a condescending tone.

"What're you saying…? That's not true, I-"

" ** _You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping…_** "

"S-Stop it!"

" ** _Hahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe… I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that…? Because I AM you!_ _You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV - now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you!?_** "

"That's not true… stop… stop it…"

" ** _You're just trying to act like a big shot… if all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!_** "

"That's not true! What are you!? Who are you!?"

The other Yosuke merely chuckled. " ** _I already told ya. I'm you… your shadow… there's nothing I don't know about you!_** "

"Screw that! I don't know you! You _can't_ be me, you son of a bitch!!"

Those words were a mistake.

The shadow merely began to laugh maniacally. " ** _That's right! Say it again!_** "

Yosuke gritted his teeth, unnerved at the sight. "Y-you're not me… you're nothing like me!"

" ** _…Hmph. Yeah, that's right. I am me now…! I'm not you anymore, see?_** " The shadow gave Yosuke an eerie smirk. The brunette boy took a step back, fear settling in as a bright light took over the shadow's form with black smoky-like darkness pouring out from the seams.

It's like the shadow was absorbing hundreds of other shadows… and when the light faded out, it revealed a freakish frog monster with a giant maniacal grin. Yosuke stared at it, horrified at the sight. Then he suddenly collapsed, leaving Yu and Teddie to fend for themselves against this threat.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu definitely was scared, but he didn't let it show.

He was either going to win or die in this fight. But in some way, Yu had to be thankful he didn't encounter something like this. Yet, or never. It would not be nice to have his secrets be revealed in such a way… not when those secrets can ruin the act he had been forced to carefully set up since he was young.

Wielding the golf club again, he witnessed as the shadow that looked like a giant creepy frog with a swaying upper body approached him, ready to do whatever it takes to kill Yosuke, even if it meant going through the silver-haired boy first.

" ** _I am a shadow… the true self… I'll crush everything that bores me… starting with_ you _!_** "

Yu firmly gripped his only physical weapon, though he knew he had his Persona to back him up. "I'm not going to go down that easily. I'm not going to let you kill him…!" he said loudly, determined to save his friend no matter what. He may have not known Yosuke for long, but that doesn't mean he'll abandon him at this time of need.

" ** _Oh yeah? Let's see you try!_** " The shadow retorted in a demeaning voice. Its voice still sounded like Yosuke, but with a layer of distortion to them. This time it had the first attack, and it unleased a wave attack with a green tint to them.

The silver-haired boy felt a rush of pain hit him like a train when the wave hit him, knocking him down to his knees. "Agh!" Was this his weakness…? This can't be good. Looking up, he noticed that the shadow decided to use the extra chance it got to charge itself up. " ** _How long can you survive this?_** " it said smugly.

"This one's much stronger than the last type! Be careful! Whenever you feel threatened, just defend yourself!" Teddie shouted from nearby. "Alright…!" Yu nodded and managed to get up. Lifting his weapon and arms up, he tried to defend against the shadow's next attack.

It swung at arm at him, though dealt little damage as the boy had defended himself at the last minute. " ** _Bastard…!_** "

"My turn. _Izanagi_!" Yu called Izanagi again from the depths of his heart before casting Zio on the shadow. He smiled as the tides were turned in his favour upon witnessing the shadow flinch at the electricity attack, losing its balance and falling onto its back.

He did not lose focus however, and used his Persona to cleave the shadow to deal more damage.

" ** _Argh, you 'effing ass!_** " Once that was done, Yosuke's shadow got up and decided to defend itself, using its giant front legs to cover its face and upper body. "It's guarding its weak point!" Teddie told Yu, who would do the same thing, feeling like the shadow is going to attack his own weak point next.

As Yu had expected, the shadow unleased another wave attack, but since he guarded, the pain wasn't as bad as the first time. He used this chance to cast Zio and attack the shadow once more. The shadow still hasn’t lost its pompous attitude despite the damage he was causing. " ** _Heh, that's it…? Boring…_** " It attacked Yu again who wasn't able to block it in time. "Ghkk!"

Either way, the silver-haired teenager was finally getting the rhythm of the attacks the shadow would do. He continued to attack Yosuke's shadow with the ongoing determination to win.

The shadow was now getting quite frustrated… " ** _You're getting to be a real pain… alright, I'm gonna crush you with everything I got!_** " It growled and attacked Yu with even more ferocity. The boy has been dealing with the onslaught of hits and punches the shadow threw at him fairly well, but even now he was feeling a heavy pain throughout his body as he breathed deeply.

He knew the shadow was in the same situation as him though, seeing that Yosuke's shadow has slumped down weakly, barely holding up. Deciding to take the risk, he used the last of his strength to call forth Izanagi once more and cast Zio, before cleaving the shadow right in its face.

The last hit caused the shadow to recoil with a pained yell, before it fell down onto the floor with darkness pouring out of it and its appearance turning to stone, which broke down to reveal its original form – looking just like Yosuke once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"You did it, Sensei…!" Teddie cheered upon Yu's victory over the shadow. The silver-haired boy weakly smiled and tried to remain upright, utter pain burning in his limbs. "I… I did it…" He can't show weakness now… not when Yosuke's shadow was still here.

Slowly turning his gaze away from the shadow, he noticed that the real Yosuke had finally woken up, standing up with hesitance. "I… I…" The brunette just didn’t know what to say now. Yu and Teddie approached him quickly, the former attempting to keep up with the bear despite his injuries.

"Yosuke, are you okay!?" Teddie asked the taller boy worriedly.

"Y-Yeah… what… happened…?"

Yosuke's question went unanswered but when he saw where both Yu and Teddie were looking, he turned around to see his shadow there. His shadow had gone back to its original shape and had a blank look on its face as it stared back at him in silence.

He shook his head, still hesitant to accept what the shadow had said about him. "You… you're… not me…"

"That thing came from you, Yosuke… you have to admit it… or it'll go berserk again…" Teddie advised him softly, which caused the brunette to look down in silence. Yu had to nod slowly in agreement with Teddie. It doesn't matter what some dark part of him said – it doesn't change who he was right now. "You're still yourself, Yosuke…"

Yosuke looked at the silver-haired boy and turned to face him. "Myself…" He looked down again, a pained expression on his face. "Dammit… it hurts to face yourself…" He glanced at his shadow for a moment, then gradually approached it. "I knew it wasn't lying... but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it… you're me… and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me."

The shadow nodded, seemingly happy at Yosuke finally accepting it.

The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest… Yosuke's shadow faded into a persona that bore a white body with yellow boots and hands, and a flowing red cape, alongside the same frog-ish grin on its face but this time looking much happier.

It then turned into a tarot card that faded back to the depths of Yosuke's heart. He has faced his other self... he has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona _Jiraiya_.

He quietly began to speak. "This is my Persona…" he murmured as he turned to face Yu and Teddie. He nearly worried the two when he suddenly squatted down, exhausted. "When we heard Senpai's voice… I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping deep down inside… haha… 'He was a real pain in the ass,' huh? What a way to find out… geez, this is so embarrassing…"

Yu just gently smiled and got closer to his friend, placing a hand on Yosuke's shoulder despite the pain in his body. The brunette looked up to him, grateful for his friend being here. "If you weren't here, I don't know what woulda happened… thanks, Yu."

"C'mon…" The smaller boy then offered a hand to his friend, who grabbed it. Yu then pulled Yosuke up, seeing that the brunette was dealing with his exhaustion quite well. Yosuke took a look at Teddie, an idea popping into his head. "Hey, Teddie… could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?"

"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk… and you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it. And the big mass of Shadows kills the host," Teddie answered. His words had easily made the events that has happened moments ago make full sense.

"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world… huh…"

The bear could only continue to look at Yosuke with worry. "Yosuke's pretty worn out… this world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I don't hear any more voices… I think we're done with this place. Let's go back."

* * *

 

The trio returned to the 'studio', standing in the middle of it once they arrived.

Luckily they didn't run into any shadows on the way there. Yu and Yosuke were looking worse for wear, but the former was dealing with unsaid injuries just because he didn't want to worry the other two with him. The brunette has suffered enough already – Yu would rather suffer alone than to let others worry for him.

Besides… in the end, he'll be all alone once his time in Inaba ends. No one will be around to help him or take care of him. That's the reality he lives in right now, for a future where he lives a lie created from youth to lead a company he wasn't so sure he even wanted to inherit.

Yosuke was too tired to notice anyway as he looked at Teddie. "Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is reality for people who enter, right? So that shopping district, and the weird room we saw before… did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality? I guess what I'm trying to ask is… did those places form because of the people who entered this world?"

Teddie didn't have the exact answer either. "I don't know. It's never happened before… but that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them."

"S-so… this world killed them, basically…?" Yu asked, his voice suddenly gone quiet. That was a terrifying thought to bear…

"The fog does lift here sometimes. The Shadows get really violent then. I always get so scared. I have to hide when it happens… I sensed people here twice before. But both of them disappeared after the fog lifted…"

"So let's get this straight…" Yosuke tried to piece the evidence up. "Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around… after a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them… does that sound right? So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I woulda been in much deeper trouble?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure. You were lucky. Sensei and me were here with you."

Yosuke gritted his teeth. "Dammit…! Senpai and that announcer… they were stuck here all alone… no one could save them…"

"Yosuke… they disappeared when the fog lifted. But they were safe before that. No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us, though… maybe they've been keeping a close eye on us. They might see people who investigate this place as enemies… it'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might be able to save people!"

This seemed to strike a realisation in both boys.

"Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear!? Like how you guys saved me!?" Yosuke asked, eyes wide with hope. "That seems to be the case." Yu agreed with him. The brunette nodded at him in response. "Anyways… we need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop. Yeah… I'm finally starting to understand what's going on."

"U-Um… hey, can I ask something too…?" Teddie meekly spoke up. "If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?"

"You don't even know where you came from!? How should we know?"

"I know some things. Mostly about this world… but I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now…"

"Are you serious…? No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of you…"

"Will you guys… come back here…?"

"Of course." Yu smiled weakly at the bear. He won't go back on his word now, even if he is reluctant to involve himself in all this. Better a finished deal than an incomplete one.

"R-Really…?"

"Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do," Yosuke added. Teddie got slightly flustered at that. "Oh! Th-That's right! Okay, I'll let you out. But there's one thing. I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time. So we can meet up."

"So… from the same place…?" Yu guessed. If that was the case, then they could only enter this place using the television at Junes. The exact one.

"You could come in from somewhere else. But then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be doooomed… got it!?"

"Well, pretty much… alright, can you show us the way out?" Yosuke then asked.

"Roger that! One exit comin' right up!" Teddie went further back and tapped the floor twice, causing a stack of TV's to appear. Yu and Yosuke walked towards it, the latter murmuring. "Cool… first we need to make sure there aren't any employees milling around out there…"

But Teddie began to push them both in. "Okay! Go go go! Squiiiish!"

"Argh! Hey! Stop squeezing, you little- whoa!"

Again, they were falling.

However… Yu felt like as if they have forgotten something important.

* * *

 

The two landed unceremoniously onto the tiled floor of the electronics department of Junes, with Yu practically collapsing onto the floor with a muffled gasp as pain shot up his body. He would have to apply some medicine to his wounds back at home later… for now, he forced himself up alongside Yosuke who landed on his bottom.

Then he saw Chie, still on her knees. Holding half a rope.

"Ah…!" She was so shocked upon seeing the two boys, she was almost crying.  "Y-You guys came baaack…!"

"Huh? Chie? Whoa, what's with that face?" Yosuke finally noticed her too. Chie's expression of relief immediately turned to anger, throwing what was left of the rope on her side at him that caused the brunette boy to fall back down. "Ow!"

"The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck! The rope got cut off… and I had no idea what to do… I was so worried… I mean scared stiff, dammit! I hate you both!" Chie promptly stormed off after that.

Yosuke got up after that, crossing his arms. He looked sheepish. "I… I think that might've kinda sorta been our fault. Maybe we did go a little too far… let's apologize to her tomorrow. I'm completely wiped out… I'm gonna go home, soak in the shower for a while, and get some sleep. I think… I'm gonna sleep well tonight."

"Good for you then." Yu chuckled quietly before wincing, clutching his abdomen where he got hit a lot. It's going to bruise overnight… "H-hey… you alright?" Yosuke finally noticed how his friend was in pain this whole time. "What happened when I was out, Yu?"

"It's… it's nothing much. I'll be fine tomorrow. Go and get some rest, Yosuke. Y-you earned it."

"…Well… see you in the morning then, Yu. Be careful."

The silver-haired boy nodded. He'll feel a lot better after applying some ointment and medicine to deal with his injuries later.

* * *

 

While Yu slowly limped his way back home from school, he was passing through the flood plains with an umbrella over his head when he saw someone familiar sitting at the small resting hut amidst the slight fog from the rain. He recognized the person as Yukiko Amagi.

She had noticed him too apparently as she called him over. Yu guessed that a rest from his slow walking – or limping - would be good for his legs for the moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey." Yu got himself over to the hut and sat down at the seats next to Yukiko. He noticed that she was dressed in a soft pink kimono with a green sash. "Oh… are you surprised to see me dressed this way? My parents sent me out on an errand…" she explained. "Um… are you getting used to your new town and school?"

"Well… somewhat, but… I think I'll like it here." This was the most exciting thing to ever happen in his life despite what he had seen in that TV world. He was still getting used to school and life in Inaba, but this place was… well, the calmest place he has ever been in. It might just be his favourite.

"Really...? But… it must be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about. I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school…" Yukiko then remembered something. "Oh! Are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so… umm…"

…If Yu were to assume that Chie would ever talk to him and Yosuke again, he guessed that things could go well. Or maybe not. "I… uh… w-we're getting along."

Yukiko didn't notice the slight stutter in his voice and smiled happily. "I'm glad to hear that. Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. We had homeroom together last year too, and I still remember how we'd cut class sometimes."

However, that smile fell as she remembered something. "Oh… I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with our head chef. Our inn can't function without me right now." She got up. "Um… I'll see you at school, then."

"Okay." Yu nodded. He watched as the black-haired girl took her red umbrella and opened it, using it to walk through the rain without getting wet and soon left the flood plains. Yu felt that he was still a little tired after all that and sat there for a bit longer, letting his legs ease up on the dull ache he felt in them.

The rain was making the air colder though… he shivered at the chill, pulling his school jacket closer.

Damn it… his body was not made for this.

* * *

 

When Yu did finally reach home, he was thankful for the welcoming warmness of the Dojima residence. It soothed the ache in his body which had acted up because of the chilly air outside, and it was still raining heavily.

He did notice that Dojima wasn't in the house. Only Nanako was there, sitting at the table while watching TV. Setting his bag down nearby, he walked towards the table with a slight limp and sat down quietly. Nanako kept staring at the clock. "Dad's late…"

The news report was a continuation of the murder cases, saying that the police are assuming that the incident may be a serial murder case related to the reporter's death. Saki Konishi's time of death was an hour after midnight and had gone unnoticed until today's morning due to the heavy fog that blanketed the area.

"Another incident…Dad won't be coming home tonight." Nanako looked worried. Yu wanted to reassure her that she'll be safe here, at least. "I'll be here with you, Nanako. Don't worry."

The little girl was quiet for a moment. "…I'll be okay. Can you help me do some stuff around the house?"

"…Sure." Yu had thought that his cousin was very reliable for her age. It should be of no trouble for him to help her – he'll just have to be careful not to strain himself at the moment. He was taken out of his thoughts however when he heard the name of the famous inn in town.

The news report was now talking about the Amagi Inn… and Yukiko was being interviewed on TV. The reporter was a real creep, now that he noticed the questions the guy was asking. It just went further and further off subject.

Nanako huffed a little. "…This is boring. Oh, I need to do the dishes…" She got up and went to the kitchen. "I'll help," Yu told her as he got up too, albeit with a pained grunt. His cousin did ask if he could help her do some housework… better get a move on, then.

~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Yu had finished helping Nanako out, it was pretty late. His body still ached with pain from all the movement he had done since fighting Yosuke's shadow but he's dealing it much better now. Since it was also raining… he supposed that he could check on the Midnight Channel again while applying medicine to his injuries.

With a bid goodnight, he went up to his room.

* * *

 

Dressed in her night clothes, Yui spent her time applying ointment to all the bruises that appeared on her body. Surprisingly, they didn't look and feel as bad as they did hours ago. She wondered if all injuries suffered in the TV world easily heal as opposed to ones suffered in the real world…

She won't be having a nice sleep tonight with all those bruises anyway.

After applying the medicine, she slowly got up from the sofa and went to check the windows, parting the dark curtains slightly to look outside. It was still raining tonight… will something appear on the TV?

The television in her room was still on, showing the weather forecast for the Inaba region. From what she heard, it seems that the foggy days have been occurring since a few years ago, and that this year would be just the same. As the report ended, the reported said that the time was now midnight.

She turned off the TV.

As she had expected, a dull glow emanated from the television as the Midnight Channel began to play, this time displaying someone else hidden through the static. Seems like as long as it was a rainy night, she could see the channel as many times as she wished to.

Yui focused on the task at hand first, trying to see the person on the channel. One thing she could tell was that it was a girl, and that she was wearing a kimono… but it was too out of focus to see the image properly. Somehow, that person looked… familiar.

Then a thought hit her.

What if she touched the image on the Midnight Channel? Would she be able to touch the person on screen…? Determined to find out, she reached out to touch the screen, yet her hand went through it all the same and she felt nothing inside. "Darn…"

She pulled her hand out, seeing that the image has disappeared.

Sighing, she brushed a stray lock of her short front hair out of her face. She'll have to speak about this to Yosuke and Chie tomorrow… she'll just go to bed for tonight now.

* * *

 

_…Yu found himself in that limousine again, with Igor and Margaret inside like last time._

_"Welcome. Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world… I have summoned you within your dreams," Igor told him with a grinning smile. "And so we meet again."_

_"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter… In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice…thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power," Margaret explained._

_"Hold on to this…" Igor then spoke. Yu looked up and watched as a blue key emerged from thin air, descending gently into his hands._

_Igor still fixed the silver-haired boy with that same grin. "From this night forth, you are out guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance… you must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make."_

_Yu nodded. His training to take over the company has taught him that much. "I understand."_

_"Very well. The Persona you have acquired… it is a side of yourself that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as… a façade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability, however, is that of the wild card… compared to that of others, it is very special. It is like the number zero… empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."_

_This time, Yu could barely understand that whole explanation. "Empty…?"_

_"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart… and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."_

_…It sounded like as if he's saying that by making friends with people, one could gain vast supernatural powers. That sounded absurd. Yu could only raise an eyebrow in question. "Control one's heart…?"_

_"Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona. At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for," Margaret added. "Where will your awakened power of the wild card take you…? I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together…" Igor continued before chuckling. "'Til we meet again…"_

_Yu felt like he was growing unconscious within the 'dream' as his vision began to blur and darken…_

* * *

 

Yui woke up in silence, no longer hearing the pattering sound of raindrops against the roof of the house.

…The ache in her body has nearly disappeared.

With a small grunt, she sat up. Rubbing her eyes of sleep, she got out of her futon and began to undress from her night clothes to dress up in her school uniform. She has a lot to talk about with Yosuke and Chie at school today.

From the looks of it, someone in Inaba may be on the brink of murder again.


	5. Lady in Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A princess in pink is out to catch herself a man... while her prince in green is struggling with her disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, and this time we finally see Yukiko's shadow on TV. Ah, but we may notice that Yui hides a little something that comes from her past... well, you'll discover what it is in time. For now, we'll dive into Yukiko's Castle!
> 
> Again, don't hesitate to give a comment!

It was a cloudy day as Yu walked to school from home. He looked much better than he did yesterday, fully rested and mostly healed from his wounds. He did wonder again if his theory last night was actually accurate – it could be because he's a Persona user now that he could heal fast… but he'll never know the exact answer.

He was broken out of his thoughts at the sound of a constant squeaking growing closer, so he turned around to see Yosuke on his bike. "Yo! You're looking much better already, Yu," he greeted him as he stopped his bike right in front of the smaller boy.

"That, I am." Yu nodded once.

"Well, you saw what was on last night, right? I couldn't tell who it was, but if someone's shown on TV, we can't ignore it. Let's go check it out after school. Maybe Teddie can tell us something."

"Sure, we can do that."

"…If it turns out someone was thrown in again, there really might be a culprit behind all this. Even if it is something about that place that's killing the victims… if someone's using that world as a weapon, that's unforgivable." Yosuke then fisted the air, a strong look of determination in his eyes. "We need to find the culprit… no matter what it takes! There's no way the police can do it… who'd believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them into the TV?"

"It has to be us to save them." Yu smiled at him. It was nice to see the brunette all perked up after yesterday's events. Yosuke smiled back, looking great. "Hehe… cool. It's reassuring to hear someone else say it."

Yosuke then scratched his head. "You know, I tried sticking my head inside the TV last night, the way you did, and it actually worked."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah… I think I can do that now because I have the same power… Persona, wasn't it? Could be that we got this gift from someone specifically so we could solve this case. Then again, you managed to go inside the TV and get your Persona first… I feel like, as long as you're with me, I can find the culprit and crack this case." Yosuke grinned. "…Well, let's do our best!"

He held a hand out to Yu, who took it in his. This was the start of a great friendship…

As Yu formed a bond with Yosuke, he felt the power in his heart strengthening. His thoughts went to Igor's words.

_"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart… And the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."_

Yu wondered if that old man was talking about this bond of friendship with Yosuke that he had just formed.

* * *

 

Chie ran into the class shortly after Yu and Yosuke arrived, looking very upset.

"Uh… Chie!" Yosuke started off, a little awkward. "Um… about yesterday… we're sorry we worried you…" he apologized, sincere with his words. However, it seems that this wasn't what Chie was upset about. "Oh - never mind that. Is Yukiko still not here?" she asked worriedly.

"Huh? Y-Yukiko-san? Uh… no…? At least, I haven't seen her today."

"Oh man… What should I do…? Hey, is that stuff you were talking about for real? You know… all that about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world."

"Oh, we were just talking about that. We're thinking of checking it out later--"

"The person on TV yesterday… I think it was Yukiko," Chie told them with a solemn expression. "That kimono looks like the one she wears at the inn, a-and she wore it during the interview a few days ago too. I got worried, so I emailed her last night, but she hasn't responded… I called her earlier in the evening, though, and she said she'd be at school today… I-I…"

Yukiko… she can't already be in that world…? Yu just saw her yesterday, all fine and well… and wearing that kimono.

"Calm down. We get the picture. And you still haven't heard from her?" Yosuke asked her. Chie could only nod. "N-no…"

"Well… the Midnight Channel shows people that have been thrown into the TV. It's why we saw Saki on it when she went missing. It's the worst case possible, but… Yukiko might've been thrown into that world, Chie," Yu said, summing up the information he and Yosuke gained in the other world for her.

"What's that supposed to mean…? Wait, are you saying… Yukiko was thrown in there!?"

"We don't know yet for sure. We should check to see if she's safe first. Give her another call," Yosuke suggested to her. Chie nodded and took out her phone, trying to call her best friend… to no answer. She held her phone to her chest as her worry only grew. "No good… her voicemail picked up… she's not answering…"

"Are you serious…? Then is Yukiko-san inside that place…?"

"Jus-s-stop it! Something must've come up, like an errand or something… oh, or she might be helping at the inn… she wouldn't be able to answer her cell if that's it…"

"Yeah, but would she skip school for that?"

"W-Well, I'll give the inn a call… umm… I've got the number here somewhere…" Chie hastily dialled up the inn's number before putting her phone to her ear again, waiting for an answer. "C'mon, Yukiko… pick up…"

…And thankfully, someone picked up the call.

"Oh, is this Yukiko!?" Chie listened to the person on the other end, then her eyes widened. "…Thank god, she's there!" She continued to listen. "Uh-huh… uh-huh, I see… hm? Oh. Nah, it was nothing. I'll email you again later…" She then ended the call, sighing in relief. "She was over at the inn. She said they had a big group reservation and she had to help out. Yeah… now that I think about it, this has happened before, too. At least once a year. She said she'll be at the inn tomorrow, too."

Stepping closer to Yosuke, she looked crossly at him. "Oh, for crying out loud, Yosuke! You got me worried over nothing! She was totally fine! And you were all 'Is Yukiko-san inside that place…?' Hmph…"

"S-Sorry…" Yosuke apologized again. "But there is a reason we thought that."

"Oh yeah…? What?"

Yosuke had a pretty good way to settle all of it. "Well… we thought people show up on the Midnight Channel because they're already over in that world. I mean, it makes sense, right? People show up on the TV because they're inside the TV… but Yukiko-san's still here, in our world. We might want to see what this is about. Alright, let's meet up at Junes after school."

Teddie would be able to tell them if something was going on in the TV world.

* * *

 

At Junes' electronics department…

Yu tried to explain to Chie in detail again about what happened last night. He also talked about what happened with Yosuke in that world, with meeting the brunette boy's shadow and him gaining his Persona after the silver-haired boy defeated it.

Yosuke was getting a little embarrassed about it. "O-Okay, I think that's more than enough about my sorry escapades."

"If I hadn't seen the place first hand… I'd never have believed a story like that," Chie admitted.

"Yeah, no kidding. Anyways, we need to know what's going on inside—" Yosuke paused as he glanced at the couple nearby who were chatting together. He can't just talk like that so loudly… "Wh--how? By talking to that Teddie guy?" Chie asked, confused.

"Yeah. Too bad there's so many customers around… I forgot there's a sale in the electronics department today…" The boy with headphones mused over it for a moment when an idea came to him. "I got it! C'mere a sec." He beckoned Yu closer. "Try sticking your hand in and calling him over. I bet that bear's wandering around the entrance anyway. Hey Chie, stand over here. Make a wall with me."

"A wall?"

So Yosuke stood on one end while Chie stood at the other end, blocking the view of Yu. The silver-haired boy then stuck his hand in the TV, attempting to beckon Teddie over… then he let out a small gasp as something bit him, quickly pulling his hand out and holding it close to him. "Ah!" That hurt… he tried to rub his hand to numb the pain down.

"Wh-What's wrong!?" Yosuke went over to him with Chie in worry. "Shhh! Not so loud, you idiot!" she whispered before taking a look at Yu's hand that had deep bite marks on it. "D-Dude, is that a bite mark!? Are you okay!?"

Yu was grimacing at the pain, but nonetheless was okay. "…I'll be all right."

Chie wasn't too convinced but she'll take it. "Wow, that looks like it hurts… sheesh, that stupid bear must've done it." She glared at the TV. "Hey, you! We know you're in there!"

A voice began to speak from it. "Ooh ooh, is this a game?" It was Teddie alright, though his voice was a little garbled. "No, it's not a game! Can you sense anyone inside there right now?" Yosuke told him before asking.

"Who's 'anyone'? I'm a lonely little bear like always. This land feels so bear-ren…"

…Yu would've honestly cringed at that pun. He hoped it wasn't going to be something that Teddie was going to do, but his hopes have always been brought down in some way or another in the past. He's not going to count on his luck.

Either way, they'll need to watch the Midnight Channel again to see if it'll be the same as before.

"Shut it! So there's no one inside…? You're sure?" Chie asked this time, wanting some confirmation. "I-I'm not lying! My nose is running as good as ever!" Teddie answered quickly.

"…I'm gonna go warn Yukiko anyway. Since she'll be busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she'd go anywhere alone, but still…"

"Yeah… you'll walk with her to school on Monday, right?" Yosuke then asked her.

"Sure, I'll go pick her up at her house."

"Maybe we'll find out more on tonight's Midnight Channel. Cross your fingers that this is all just a misunderstanding…" The brunette boy looked at his silver-haired friend. "What's your cell number? I'll call you when I watch it tonight."

"Okay, it's this…" Yu then exchanged cell numbers with him.

"…Alright, don't forget to watch tonight."

* * *

 

That night…

Yui waited for midnight to strike, feeling like there was something bad that she was going to see on the television. Looking up at the clock, she saw that it was now a few seconds to midnight. "…Let's see if she's on it…" she murmured to herself as she got up, approaching the TV.

Once the clock was about to strike twelve, the TV suddenly came to life, this time its image as clear as day.

It was Yukiko, for sure… but she was dressed in a very pink dress. Yui realised that this was very off.

'Yukiko' smiled at the screen and greeted the 'audience'. The camera angles even changed, as if this was some kind of live recording session. " ** _Good evening! Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big surprise… I'm gonna go score myself a hot stud! Welcome to 'Not a Dream, Not a Hoax, Princess Yukiko's Hunt For Her Prince Charming', and I came prepared!_** "

Yui grimaced as 'Yukiko' suddenly pressed against her dress, where her thighs should be. " ** _I've got my lacy unmentionables on…_** " And then the camera showed 'Yukiko's' breasts that were accentuated by her dress. " ** _…decked from top to bottom!_** "

After that, the camera focused back on the black-haired girl's face. " ** _I'm out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine! Well, here I go…!_** " 'Yukiko' then went towards what was now a huge castle with an entrance that had the same black and red alternating portal…

The Midnight Channel ended there, leaving Yui uncomfortably silent. "…Uh."

Even this was uncomfortable for a girl like her… but there was no doubt it was Yukiko on the Midnight Channel. At least.

The sound of her phone ringing broke her out of her stupor, so she quickly answered it in a lower voice. "Yes?"

It was Yosuke. "H-hey, did you see that?! That was Yukiko-san for sure! It looked like her, and I mean, she even said her name! But didn't the stuff she was saying sound weird!? And she looked like she was on some low-budget TV show… was it like this before, too? What's going on…?"

"Calm down, Yosuke. Try to contact Chie – she should know Yukiko's number."

"Y-you're right! I'll do that quickly. Tomorrow's Sunday, so let's meet up at Junes first thing in the morning!"

"Alright, see you tomorrow." Yui ended the call there and fell silent for a moment. She'll have to meet Yosuke the next day… well, she better go to sleep early. But even she is wondering what is actually happening… she hoped that Yukiko really wasn't in the TV yet, but what she just saw is easily breaking that thought.

If she really is in there… Yui hoped that Yosuke and her could get to Yukiko in time.

* * *

 

The next morning, Yu went downstairs while fully dressed in his casual clothes. He was about to leave when he saw Nanako sitting at the living room all alone again. "Nanako?"

"Oh, good morning." Nanako looked up at him.

"…You're up early today."

"He woke up early, so I woke up with him. He said he's gonna be late."

Now Yu felt a little guilty leaving his cousin alone. If he left Nanako would be lonely all day, but he also had important business with Yosuke concerning the life and death of Chie's best friend…

"Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked, which brought him to his senses. He was about to answer when she told him that she'll be fine by herself. She then turned on the TV, which showed a weather forecast saying that this weekend will be perfect for going out before continuing with next week's forecast.

"Oh, the sun's gonna come out. I should do some laundry." The little girl got up… then looked at her cousin. "Uh… weren't you going somewhere?"

Yu blinked once. "…Y-yes. I'll be going out now, Nanako."

Nanako nodded and went to do some housework, leaving the silver-haired boy to leave quietly and head for the food court at Junes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At the food court, Yu waited at one of the tables as Yosuke had asked him to, saying about he had something to take out from storage.

He soon spotted the brunette approaching him with his hands behind his back.

"Sorry for the hold up. I found some stuff we can use in the closet at home…" Yosuke told him… then revealed what he was hiding behind his back. "Take a look at these!"

He opened up his arms to show two kinds of blades in his hands, one being a katana and the other being an aikuchi. He ended up getting attention from people nearby at the sight of the dangerous weapons, though he remained unaware as he continued to talk to Yu. "We've got our Personas, but a golf club's not that reliable of a weapon. So, which one strikes your fancy?"

Yu smiled, not hesitating to answer. "The katana."

Then a pang of guilt grew his chest. Wait, why did he… damn it. He thought he had totally removed that part of his life from him already… and he didn't even hesitate a moment to answer for the one weapon he had used before in his younger years.

"Ahh, you've got discerning taste. This is a Junes exclusive. The blade's fake, though… as for me… wait, maybe both would be good, too." Yosuke didn’t notice his friend's sudden drop of mood and began to do some moves with both blades. "K-Kinda like this!? Or like this!? What about this!?"

…It attracted unwanted attention, to say the least.

A patrolman had noticed the brunette's actions and began to talk to a walkie-talkie. "Two suspicious young males found, one armed with multiple weapons. Requesting immediate backup."

Yosuke noticed the man and began to panic. So did Yu, who snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing the report and seeing the patrolman run towards them.

"Huh…? Ohh crap, I mean… no… no no no no, this isn't what it looks like. We didn't steal it… uh, I guess that's not what matters… a-anyways, we're not doing anything bad! We're just two ordinary kids who like weapons and… ugh, that doesn't sound right either. Ahaha…" Yosuke tried so hard to explain but it just got worse and worse.

"Put the weapons down now! We'll listen to your story at the station. Hands where I can see them, too! I said now!" The patrolman ordered them. "B-but… this isn't…!" Yosuke totally panicked and held his hands out which still held the two weapons, making the man flinch. "Are you resisting an officer of the law!? Y-You're under arrest!"

Two more patrolmen came over to take both Yosuke and Yu to the police station as suspects…

* * *

 

In hindsight, Yosuke should've known better than to bring his weapons to an open place like Junes.

At least Yu was related to a detective, but the silver-haired boy's expression has clearly darkened ever since they got arrested. Ryotaro had to come and release them.

The man scratched his head, slightly annoyed at the situation. "…You didn't seem the type to pull a stupid stunt like this. You know what's been going on around town. We got men stationed everywhere. For god's sake… you're lucky I was around, or this would have ended up on your permanent record."

"We're sorry…" Yosuke apologized. Yu was as silent as ever, though he looked troubled by this… or something.

Their weapons have been confiscated, leaving them with no weapons for the travel to the TV world. As they stood there, two policemen walked by… and their conversation had brought their worst fears to life. Yukiko was missing.

"Hey… did he say Amagi…? Then… she really is…" Yosuke whispered to his friend who was barely listening. Ryotaro heard his whisper, though. "Hm? Who's that now?"

"Oh, uh, nothing…"

"I'm sure you've seen on the news that there's an investigation in progress… we're sensitive about certain things. You're free to go. But this better not happen again."

"Yes, sir…" Yu absentmindedly murmured, like he had gone through something like this before. Ryotaro's eyebrows furrowed at hearing that, merely sighing and leaving the two alone. Yosuke then noticed the look on his friend's face and was about to ask about it when the detective who threw up at the first crime scene on Yu's first day at school almost bumped into them. "Whoa… pardon me." The young man apologised to the two. He looked at Yu, recognizing him. "Huh? Aren't you the kid staying at Dojima-san's place?"

Yu snapped out of his thoughts at hearing that, yet he was still silent.

Yosuke decided to try and ask the man. "Oh…! Uh, can we ask you something? It's about Yukiko-san… I mean, Yukiko Amagi of the Amagi Inn… did something happen to her?"

"Huh? Oh, umm… am I allowed to say…? Well, if you're friends with Ms. Amagi… keep this between us, okay?" The young man told them before continuing. "We got a call from Ms. Amagi's parents yesterday evening saying they couldn't find her anywhere. Since it was the weekend, the workers at the inn were extremely busy, and no one saw Ms. Amagi around that time. Oh, but that doesn't necessarily mean this is a case just yet! But, people've been turning up dead on foggy days… So we're really sensitive to stuff like this. By the way, did she say anything to you guys about maybe going through some hard times?"

"Uh...? Hard times?" Yosuke didn’t know anything about that, and neither did Yu.

"Well, that announcer, Ms. Yamano, was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. Seems Ms. Yamano had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests. The stress of it caused the manager to collapse. And with Ms. Amagi being the manager's daughter… she must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know. By the way, did Ms. Amagi ever hint that she might be leaving the house? 'Cause if not, there's been some theories floating around that she's laying low for some reason or another… crap, I think I've gone too far. You didn't hear that, okay?"

Suddenly, Ryotaro yelled from nearby. "Adachi, what the hell are you chatting with civvies for!? And where's my coffee!?"

Adachi panicked a little. "S-Sorry! I got it right here!" He looked at the two boys. "Psst! Forget I said anything! Please!" Then he walked off in a hurry. Yosuke glanced at the silver-haired boy who has been silent all this while. "…Dude, you okay? You've been quiet since we've been brought here."

Yu looked back at him. His blank expression broke as he smiled slightly. "It's nothing, Yosuke. Let's go to the lobby to talk."

"…Okay. If you say so." The brunette could only agree with his friend for now. They had much more important matters to deal with.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At the lobby, Yosuke decided to talk about what the young detective had just said. "Hey… does that detective think that Yukiko-san—" He was cut off by the sound of a familiar feminine voice.

"There you are!"

Chie ran towards them, a frustrated expression on her face. "Sheesh, what're you guys doing!? I've been looking everywhere!"

"Uh, well, there was a slight misunderstanding… we'll tell you about it later…" Yosuke answered sheepishly. "Anyways, something's up with Yukiko-san!"

"Huh? You know already!? I kept calling her cell, but she didn't pick up… so I went to her house, and it turns out Yukiko really did disappear…!"

"I guess we've got no choice but to go now… but that aside, the cops are saying some weird stuff. They think Yukiko-san's hiding to 'lay low'… apparently, Yukiko-san's mom collapsed because that announcer's lady bitched her out. They think that gives her a motive, and the fact that the announcer died right after makes her even more suspicious…"

"What!? They think Yukiko did it!? What the hell is wrong with them!?"

"Dude, don't snap at me! Yukiko's the victim here, dammit, not the suspect…"

They both seemed agitated. Yu sighed, having to remind them of what's important. "Look, we need to save her. That's what important right now."

"R-Right! That's the important thing!" Chie finally focused on the task at hand. "With the police totally on the wrong track, we've gotta handle it ourselves," Yosuke added, crossing his arms.

"I'm going too! And that's final! I'm going to save Yukiko no matter what!"

"Are you gonna be all right…? But man… they just confiscated our weapons. We can't go in empty-handed…"

"Weapons…? I know just the place! C'mon, follow me!"

…Well, Chie did have an obsession with martial arts movies.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They left the police station and went to a store in the central shopping district, which looked like an armoury store with all kinds of weapons and armour in it.

"Here we are!" Chie told them. Yu and Yosuke looked around, the former a bit wary at the sight of the weapons and armours that look very familiar to him. "Wh-What kind of shop is this…?" The brunette boy just had to ask.

"A metalworks… I guess? They sell all sorts of metal crap… like katanas and stuff."

"Doesn't that seem weird to you!? Why would you know about a place like this anyway? Oh, I get it… you watched one too many kung-fu movies, and…"

"It's not that at all! I overheard some guys in our class talk about it. They said this place sells weapons and armour." Chie approached a set of armour. "Here, this one looks good. Oh, but it might be too heavy…"

"I dunno, Chie… I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but--"

"You don't! You don't know shit about how I feel… Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud! I'm going, and that's that!"

There's really no point in stopping her… but she doesn't know the horrors that lie within that world, nor new ones that may appear in that castle.

Yu shook his head. He had trouble enough dealing with Yosuke's shadow – hell, he nearly died if he hadn't taken the risk to deal the final blow. "You really shouldn't do this, Chie."

"Psh, I'll be fine! My reflexes are second to none!" Chie was confident in herself, smiling. Yosuke sighed. "Listen… I'm not kidding around. You don't know what it's like in there! If you're not gonna listen to our warnings, we're leaving you here! If you insist on coming, just make sure you have something to protect yourself."

"Alright…"

"But man, what should we get…? Hey, Yu. Mind picking out something for me, too? You're our main asset in battle right now, so I think you should choose whatever makes it easiest for you."

"Uh… sure." Yu hesitantly nodded. Chie had already finished looking around. "I got my stuff all picked out! How about you guys?"

"…You know, if we wear this stuff around town, we'll just get picked up again," Yosuke told them, remembering about what happened earlier. But it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either…"

"Why not conceal them under our uniforms? I don't think people would notice." Chie suggested. It was a good idea, but then their armour would need to be the kind that doesn't stick out too much… they would also need to conceal their weapons properly.

"Okay… let's try that. Alright, let's split up and get ready. The store will be crowded until the afternoon sale ends, and if we walk around together the cops might get suspicious."

"Then I'll see you guys at the Junes food court!"

Both Chie and Yosuke waited around first, letting Yu buy the armour and weapons for himself and Yosuke.

Admittedly, although the smaller boy may have not seen such armour before, he was seemingly able to tell which one would give great defence against attacks. Weapons were the same deal, with him picking out the good ones.

It was like instinct, after all.

That time of his life… it's still a part of him. Just very diluted by time.

He bought the weapons and armours, giving Yosuke his armour and weapon. With their business done at the shop, they parted ways to change clothes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu was walking away from the shop, a bright flash blinded his vision for a moment.

Blinking a few times, his vision cleared up. He looked around to find where the flash came from, and his eyes landed on a bizarre glowing blue door with intricate yellow details. He glanced at the man that passed by the door, unaware of it being there. Seems like everyone else other than him can see it…

Another flash came from the door, and he heard a voice in his head.

_"So, it finally begins… now, if you'll give me a moment of your time…"_

…Yu saw that the Velvet Key in his pocket was shining.

~*~*~*~*~*~

For once, Yu entered the Velvet Room while awake.

Igor and Margaret were there, fixing him a pair of smiles.

"We have been expecting you. The catastrophe that is headed your way… it has already taken human lives in its approach towards you… but you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come…" Igor said, chuckling.

Margaret then spoke up. "Your Persona ability is that of the wild card. If you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that."

"My contribution… is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form… this, in other words, is the fusion of Persona. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly. When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp… but you must master your fear and reach out to them."

Yu could only look at the old man in confusion. Cards? Seeds of possibility? What is Igor _talking_ about?

Igor merely continued on. "When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power… they will be one of your chief sources of strength… you would do well to take this to heart."

Then Yu recalled that he had a bond with Yosuke – the _Magician Social Link_. From what he understood, fusing a Persona of the _Magician Arcana_ will make that Persona gain more power.

Margaret looked at Igor, and they both nodded. She beckoned at Yu to focus on her. "The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium. Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time. Please see me when you wish to use it."

The silver-haired boy finally did notice the book. It had been hidden by the armrest of the seats…

Igor's chuckle made Yu look at Igor again. "Do you recall my words to you before? 'The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… if the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.'. I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end… please do not forget this. When next we meet, you will come here for your own will."

Yu bit the inside of his mouth. There was a lot more riding on his role in this mystery than he thought…

The old man chuckled again. "I look forward to it. Until then… farewell."

With all that said, the silver-haired boy was finally able to leave the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Finishing up the last of what he has to do, Yu hurried off to the food court at Junes. He saw that both Yosuke and Chie were waiting for him already. "Sorry that you had to wait for me, guys."

Yosuke shrugged. "Nah, no problem… though we really stick out… guess it doesn't help that we're in our school uniforms on a Sunday. The sale should end soon, so that'll get rid of some of the people wandering around here. Alright… let's get going." He looked at Chie. "Chie, it's not too late to-"

"I'm going!" Chie was adamant at her decision to go into the TV world.

"Fine, but don't push yourself, got it!?"

It's time for them to go.

* * *

 

Once they arrived at the studio in the TV world, they were met by the sight of Teddie standing near a corner, holding his head.

"Whoa, it really is that bear from last time…" Chie recognized him from last time. "What're you doing?" Yosuke asked the bear.

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff…" Teddie answered without looking back at them. Seems like he's been thinking about himself all this time… "I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now... hey, that wasn't a bad joke. Heehee…!" He laughed at that.

The three teenagers were silent at that, a bit uncomfortable at the pun. Yosuke soon broke the silence. "So… did you figure anything out? Eh, it's probably useless to think about it too much. I've seen the inside of your skull, and it was empty."

Teddie then turned around and approached them before stomping his feet on the ground in slight anger. "How rude!" His little tantrum ended quickly, though. "You're right, though. I try and try but nothing comes out of my head."

Chie wasn't in the mood to sit around and chat, quickly snapping at the two. "Will you guys shut up?! Now's not the time for stupid jokes! Listen… someone came here yesterday, right?"

Teddie was amazed at that statement, thinking that Chie had found that out by herself. "Wow! There's a girl with a better nose than me!? What's your name, Miss?"

"M-Miss? Uh… I'm Chie. But never mind that! Tell me more about that 'someone'!"

"I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, it felt like someone was here."

"Is it Yukiko-san!?" Yosuke questioned the bear after hearing that.

"I don't know. I haven't looked…" Teddie turned to face Yu's position, pointing in that direction. "The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are."

The three teenagers looked in that direction too. "Over there, huh…? Is everyone ready?" Chie asked, her determination to save Yukiko grew once the bear said that. Yu and Yosuke nodded. "Y-yeah!" The brunette boy said, while the silver-haired boy kept silent.

Without further ado, they hurried off to where Teddie had pointed out Yukiko was.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The strange, eerie castle awaited them at their destination. It was exactly the same castle 'Yukiko' had entered on the Midnight Channel.

"What the…? A castle!?" Chie looked up at the building, startled at the sight. "Y'think this is the place they showed on TV last time?"

Yosuke glanced at Teddie. "You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?"

Teddie stared back at the brunette boy. "Program…? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before! There's only me and Shadows here! There's no 'camera' stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."

"'From the beginning'…? That's what we don't understand!"

"I dunno… can you guys explain everything about your world? I've never seen this 'program' thingy before. So I don't know."

"Well… is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world?" Chie then asked. "Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off? I mean, Yukiko saying stuff like 'score myself a hot stud'? That's not like her at all!"

"'Score'? 'Stud'?" Teddie was confused at those terms. He must've never heard of such words… then again, Yukiko didn't seem like the type to say those kinds of words. It's the total opposite of how she acted, which just made things look suspicious. Like something's off.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either… Yukiko-san would never say anything like that…" Yosuke mused. He thought for a moment, and soon he realised something. "I wonder… is this kinda like what happened to me last time…?"

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get. But after hearing your story… I think that 'program' happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that…"

"So… Yukiko is producing that show herself?" Chie tried to make sense of it, but just couldn't wrap her head around it. "Ugh, I don't get this at all!" She looked at Teddie. "Hey… do you feel Yukiko's presence from inside?"

"I'm pretty sure. So, um, what's this 'scoring with a hot stud' thing…?"

The athletic girl didn't hear the bear's question, getting ahead of herself. "Yukiko's here… I'm going on ahead!"

"Hey, wait! Don't go alone!" Yosuke yelled at her to try and stop her, but she was already running through the portal and into the castle. "Geez! We better follow her!"

"Definitely." Yu just shook his head in exasperation. Chie was too stubborn…

"Tch… she ran off on her own…" The boy with headphones on his neck sighed. Teddie then just had to tell them some _wonderful_ news. "Urk…! There are lots of Shadows in the castle. It'll be dangerous inside for a girl by herself…"

"Dude, are you serious!? Why didn't you tell us before!? C'mon, let's find Chie!"

Yu nodded, so the three of them quickly went into the castle in search of Chie.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, Chie was nowhere in sight when they did get in.

"She hasn't gone that far yet," Teddie told them both. "Ugh, she ran off alone… dammit, let's go!" Yosuke didn’t want Chie to get hurt, even if she was a stubborn mule.

"Um, wait a second! The Shadows have gotten aggravated ever since you two got here," The bear informed them. "That's not good…" Yu looked around, noting that the fog was making it hard to see into the distance even with the glasses on.

"They'll probably attack as soon as they find you, Sensei. So try to get the jump on Shadows before they can attack you!" Teddie added, to which Yu nodded in response. "I understand. Let's go." He led the small group ahead into the castle, unaware of what will be waiting for them on the second floor.

While he wasn't too keen on fighting again, a person's life was at stake here… even if it means freeing the demons that he had kept deep within his heart under lock and key for a long time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After going through some shadows and discovering more of the first floor, they eventually found a set of stairs leading up. Upon going upstairs, they were met by a grand set of ruby red doors. On the bright red carpet under their feet, there were a set of footprints that looked like Chie's.

Teddie looked at both Yosuke and Yu, deep in thought. "Hmm…" Then, he smiled at the smaller boy. "You're good at fighting, Sensei. Compared to you, Yosuke stinks…" he complimented Yu while dissing Yosuke at the same time.

"Shut up, Ted!" Yosuke snapped at the bear, but he then looked at his friend sheepishly. "Though I do gotta admit… you have a knack for this stuff."

"Er… thanks." Yu wasn't too sure on whether to actually accept the compliment. His fighting skills were something he wanted to forget. "Doesn't he? So you should be the one to give Yosuke orders during a fight, Sensei," Teddie agreed with Yosuke before suggesting that.

Yosuke sighed. "It ticks me off to hear Teddie say that stuff, but I don't wanna cause trouble doing my own thing in battle… so don't hesitate to order me around." He stared at Yu with trust in his eyes. "I'm counting on you."

Suddenly, Yu felt very burdened by those words.

With a heavy nod, he ignored the feeling and led the group through the doors.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the middle of the big hall was Chie, looking up at the ceiling like she was listening to something.

The trio ran towards her, but stopped a few feet behind her. "Chie! Are you all right?!" Yosuke quickly asked. He soon noticed that she wasn't listening, though. "Chie…?"

_"She said that red looks good on me…"_

That… was Yukiko's voice.

"Yukiko-san!?"

_"I hated my name… Yukiko… 'Snow'… snow is cold and it melts quickly… it's transient… worthless… but it's perfect for me… apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless… still… Chie told me that red looks good on me."_

"Are these… Yukiko-san's inner thoughts? I remember hearing Saki-senpai's, too…" Yosuke noticed. "Yeah. This castle is probably here because of this Yukiko person," Teddie told him, proving the brunette boy's suspicions.

"Yukiko…" Chie whispered, her eyes wide as she could only listen to the voice of her best friend that spoke of such thoughts.

_"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning… she's bright and strong, and she can do anything… she has everything that I don't… compared to Chie, I'm… I'm…"_

Yukiko's voice fell silent for a moment, before it continued.

_"Chie protects me… she looks after my worthless life… and I… I don't deserve any of it… Chie is so kind…"_

"Yukiko, I-I…"

Things got bad after that.

Another voice spoke out, sounding _like_ Chie, but it had distortion to it. " ** _'Chie is so kind,' huh? What a joke._** "

"Wh-What…!?" Chie looked down from the ceiling, her eyes falling onto a doppelganger of herself, except with eerie yellow eyes and a dark blue aura surrounding it. It was her shadow.

"Oh man… is that…!?" Yosuke could hardly believe what he was seeing. It was Chie's shadow.

"It's just like Yosuke! She lost control over her suppressed self! Now it's a Shadow!" Teddie quickly told Yu. "Crap…" Yu muttered under his breath. This could go south real fast.

Chie's shadow had a creepy smile, a dark shadow under her front hair bangs that made her golden eyes look much scarier. " ** _Are we talking about THAT Yukiko!? She says I'm protecting her!? She says she's worthless!_** " She chuckled deeply. " ** _That's how it should be, right?_** "

The brunette girl became flustered. "Wh-What're you saying?"

" ** _Yukiko's sooo good looking… sooo fair-skinned… so feminine… she's the one all the guys drool over. When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy… man, did I get a charge out of that. Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything if I'm not around… I'm better than her… much, much better!_** "

"No! I have never thought that!"

It was already heading towards that path. Yosuke glanced at Yu with worry. "Wh-What're we gonna do?" he asked nervously. Yu stared back at him with a calm expression, though he was trying to. "It's obvious, Yosuke. We need to protect her."

"We need to protect Chie-chan right now!" Teddie told them, witnessing Chie beginning to panic.

"N-No, don't come near me! Don't look at me!" Chie yelled at her shadow, backing away. "Chie, calm down!" Yosuke shouted at her, but it went unheard as the brunette girl panicked even more. "No… no, this isn't me!" she said to herself.

"W-Wait, stupid! Don't say anything else like that!"

Chie's shadow chuckled again. " ** _That's right. I'm the one who can't do anything alone… I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person… I'm pathetic. But Yukiko… she depends on me…_** " Another deep chuckle escaped her lips. " ** _That's why she's my friend… I'll never loosen my grip on her… she's too important to me._** "

"No… that is not how I think of her…" Chie kept shaking her head. Her shadow merely chuckled once more at her reaction. " ** _So, you're just gonna turn your back and deny me again? But things are different now. When the time comes… I'll be the one left standing._** "

The expression on Chie's shadow suddenly turned sour. " ** _You won't mind, right? I'm still you!_** "

"Shut up! You're…"

"Chie, no!" Yosuke's warning was too late.

" _You're not me!_ "

The deed has been said and done.

The shadow began to laugh like a maniac, her striking yellow eyes wide with glee as her form grew darker while she absorbed many other shadows in the area. " ** _Heehee… ahahahahahaha!_** "' Soon, the shadow's form grew and grew, until it revealed a horrible monster. Under the monster was a figure that looked eerily like Yukiko…

"Aaagh!" Chie fell back as the energy in her body was drained out of her to the shadow, leaving her vulnerable. "Chie!" Yosuke and Yu yelled in alarm. "I-It's coming! You have to use your powers to save Chie-chan!" Teddie hurriedly alerted the two as he went to a safe distance away from the battle to keep giving support.

Once again, Yu was thrown into a battle with someone's twisted reflection… but this time, he had Yosuke to help him.

This will be a hard fight.


	6. A Tale of Two Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The challenges given by the princess grows ever harder.
> 
> It's giving a forbidden thrill to the girl posing as a prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter to this slow story, this time we go in deeper into Yukiko's castle! But our hero and heroines will have to continue their journey another day... again, thanks to those who gave kudos to the story. At least you're supporting it that way, eh?
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

Gripping the katana tightly in his hands, Yu faced Chie's shadow with Yosuke. Having endured through the battle with Yosuke's shadow before, he had an idea of how strong Chie's shadow might be, considering that she was a girl with a huge liking to martial arts.

But not this.

This shadow was like a damn _dominatrix_. With a long whip as a weapon to fit its armoured and skimpy appearance, Yu would've nearly blanched at saying that word out loud. The only reason he even knew that word was because of how he acted back in junior high school…

…That was seriously a time he didn't want to remember, but all of this fighting was bringing those painful memories up anyway. If only he hadn't made that one thought to become a… ngh, this is not the time to regret such things.

" ** _I am a shadow… the true self… what do you guys think you're doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me? Then you're gonna pay the price!_** " The shadow spoke, its voice still sounding the same despite being in a whole different form now.

"Shut up! Quit being such a pain!" Yosuke yelled at it. He glanced at Chie who was barely conscious since her shadow has become like this. "Chie… just hang in there a little longer…"

" ** _Hah… think you can stop me that easy!?_** "

So the fight began.

Yu got the first turn, and seeing that his Persona had gotten stronger alongside some new skills, he decided to use one to make the battle easier. Summoning Izanagi, he cast a spell that lowered the shadow's defences. "Rakunda!" Shattering the tarot card in his hand, Izanagi emerged from thin air and casted the spell.

Now it was Yosuke's turn. Yu glanced at him – they needed to find the shadow's weakness quick and exploit it… and the only way to do that was to risk experimenting their attacks. "Yosuke, cast Garu on her!"

"Alright!" The brunette nodded. As the tarot card with his Persona on it appeared, he slashed it with his weapon to summon Jiraiya. "Let's do this, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya then appeared, spinning around before stopping to face the shadow and lowering its arms, casting Garu on the shadow. Just like that, the shadow cried out in pain as the figure holding it that looked like Yukiko up fell onto its knees.

This was their chance to give it all they got.

"All right, all for one and one for all!" Yosuke looked at Yu with a grin who returned the motion with a nod. "Good answer!"

Rushing towards the shadow, they attacked it with all their might to deal some heavy damage to Chie's shadow… but it still wasn't enough. The shadow merely laughed. " ** _Ahahaha, how lame! You're all so deadly serious, and we've only gotten started_**!"

She swung the whip against the floor as she casted a spell this time, causing a green shield to create itself around her form. "Sensei, she's put up a wall that makes her resist wind elemental attacks! Garu won't down her now!" Teddie informed Yu about it. "But it won't last forever – the wall will deteriorate after a while!"

"Guess we'll have to last the duration of the spell, then." Yu realised that the shadow was much tougher to fight than Yosuke's. Without much choice, both he and Yosuke had to use physical attacks to deal damage to Chie's shadow while enduring attacks from her whip.

However, the shadow suddenly stopped attacking to gaze at Yosuke. Soon Yu felt instinct warn him about an incoming attack and stopped the brunette from attacking. "Wait, Yosuke. Guard yourself!"

"Huh? O-okay!" Yosuke lifted his arms to guard himself. The silver-haired boy's warning came just in time as the shadow then casted a different spell – Mazio. " ** _Scream for me…!_** " Thunder rang out as lightning hit both teenagers with electricity.

Yu and Yosuke yelled out at the pain, but since the latter had guarded himself at the last minute, he avoided his weakness to electricity getting exploited by the shadow instead. Luckily for them, the shadow's resistance spell also faded out that same turn too. "Phew, that didn't hurt as much. Thanks, Yu!"

The smaller boy smiled, a determined look in his eyes. "Here's our chance. I'm leaving the attack to you." He cast Rakunda again, using his turn to give Yosuke the upper hand. The brunette boy grinned, then promptly summoned Jiraiya again. "Countin' on you! Persona!" He cast Garu on the shadow, hitting its weakness again. "Let's go, partner!"

They did another all-out attack, and it was exactly the final blow they needed to defeat it.

" ** _No!!_** " Chie's shadow fell down in a total heap upon its defeat, the colour of its form turning to a dark colour as darkness poured out of it. Its giant form disappeared into dust, leaving the shadow in its original form with a stoic expression.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu, Yosuke and Teddie went over to Chie to help her up. "Ngh…" The brunette girl was still weak after her shadow went on a rampage. "Chie! Are you okay!?" Yosuke asked her in concern.

"What happened…?" Chie looked up from the carpet, then her eyes fell onto her shadow that has gone silent since its defeat. "What's the matter…? Got nothing to say anymore?"

"Stop it, Chie. It's all right."

"B-But…"

Yu gently smiled at her. "It's okay. We all have different faces… even if they're the bad ones." He himself had many other different faces, all to face the hardships in his life. Be it as an heir to a company, a loner in school, a girl dressed like a boy… a former delinquent… he's all of those, and they're all of him.

But he hides them either way, for they are his secrets. For as long as he can still keep it that way, he will.

Chie glanced at him, hesitant. "Everyone…?"

"He's right… I went through the same thing. So I can understand… I mean… everyone has a side like this…" Yosuke admitted.

"Yeah… I kinda get it now." Chie then looked back at her shadow and approached it, regretful at her thoughts but no longer refusing to accept them. "You _are_ me… a side of me I couldn't forgive… that I tried to ignore… but you still exist. You're a part of me…"

…The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest. Chie's shadow nodded with a smile, then faded out to reveal a Persona that looked much like a warrior with a yellow and white colour scheme to its appearance, and a double-bladed scimitar as its weapon.

Chie has faced her other self… she has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships – the Persona _Tomoe_. Tomoe then turned into a tarot card, fading back into the depths of her heart.

She was a bit embarrassed as the trio then got closer to her. "I… um, well it's true that part of me feels that way… but I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko…!"

Yosuke grinned. "Like we don't know that already."

The brunette girl was silent for a moment… before she fell onto her knees, exhausted.

"H-Hey! Chie!"

"I'm okay… just a little tired…"

"You don't look okay at all… and I bet… you can use the same power we have now."

"Huh…?"

"Hey, what should we do?" Yosuke glanced at Yu. The silver-haired boy looked at Chie – from the looks of it, she can barely even walk… let alone fight. He stared back at Yosuke after that. "Let's go back for today."

"…I agree. We need to let Chie rest."

"I-I never said I needed a break! I… can still keep going…" Chie protested, trying to get up but her limbs just wouldn’t respond. "Don't overdo it!" Teddie told her as he got in front of her.

"It's not that we don't think you can. It's just, we have to save Yukiko-san, no matter what. Now that you have the power, you can fight with us. It'd be much better for us all if you had your strength back. That's why we're saying we should go back and regroup," Yosuke added.

"But Yukiko's still in here, isn't she!? I-I… if those were Yukiko's true feelings… then I have to tell her something. I'm not as strong as she thinks! It's because she was with me… because we were always together, I was able to act that way. If we weren't, I'd…" Chie almost looked like she could cry.

"Well, you need to get your strength back! Then you can tell her! Yuki-chan's normal. The Shadows don't attack normal people. They only attack when the fog lifts here," Teddie then explained to her. It was good news, at least.

If they really had to do all this at once, they'd never make it in time nor possibly alive.

"So Yukiko-san will be safe until then, right?" Yosuke asked the bear, to which Teddie nodded. "I'm positive."

Chie was too tired to think straight. "Why…? I don't get it…"

"Teddie told us that the weather here is the opposite of our own world. When it fogs over in our world… that's the day it lifts here, and that's when the Shadows attack their victim. So even if we leave for a while, Yukiko-san won't be in danger until the fog starts to cover Inaba. I'm sure of it. It was the same way for that announcer and Senpai… don't you remember how it was foggy in town on the days they died?" Yosuke explained further.

"You mean… they were killed by their other selves?"

"The fog usually appears after it rains. But it's been sunny lately. I don't think it's going to rain anytime soon. Don't worry so much. We'll check the weather forecast first thing when we get back."

"But… I-I can't turn back now! We've come so far! Yukiko's still here! She's all alone… she must be so scared!"

"Then you tell me how much further we gotta go to reach Yukiko-san!"

"Th-That's…!"

"You don't know what's up ahead. The enemies might be even stronger. If we push ourselves too hard and get wiped out, who'll save Yukiko-san then!? We can't fail, no matter what… am I wrong?"

Chie was silent for a good while before she eventually gave in. "…Alright. I'm sorry about before… I shouldn't have rushed in like that by myself…"

"No worries, Chie. Let's go together next time." Yu understood how she felt for Yukiko, after all. They stuck together like glue and were lost without one another… best friends for a long time, though how long? He didn’t know exactly. It's just long enough to cultivate this kind of friendship.

…He felt melancholic when he thought about it. Friendship… he never did have a proper one before he came to Inaba and began to have one with Yosuke. His life was very plain and empty with his training and constant crossdressing. But now, he found himself warming up to his classmates.

He hoped this wasn't a mistake, considering that he'll be leaving by next year.

"No worries. We're definitely gonna save Yukiko-san… right?" Yosuke reassured Chie, the both of them pitifully unaware of the secrets held by their newest classmate. The brunette girl nodded, not wavering from the recent events to save her best friend. "…Right!"

The four of them left the castle, heading home for the time being…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Chie was getting worse and worse as they walked back to the studio. It didn't take long to figure out why, though.

"I…I'm feeling even worse than the last time I came in here… my head feels like it's gonna split open… are you guys okay?" Chie murmured, looking quite sick. Yu thought about it for a second and realised why. "Well, it's probably thanks to these things." He pointed at the glasses he was wearing, which were similar to Yosuke's.

"That's right, you're not wearing the glasses." Yosuke realised that too. Chie looked closely and noticed the glasses for the first time. "Oh yeah… What's with those glasses? Did your eyesight go bad?"

"Man… you didn't notice until now? How panicked were you…?"

"Tum de dumm! I got a pair ready for Chie-chan, too. Here you go!" Teddie revealed a pair of yellow glasses, giving them to Chie. Once she wore them, she looked around in awe. "Whoa! What the---!? This is awesome! It's like the fog doesn't exist!"

"Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?" Yosuke had to question Teddie about the timing of this. "I made them right now! You didn't tell me she was coming! It was all so sadden! I mean, sudden!" Teddie got flustered at his question.

"Huh… so that's the trick. I was wondering how you guys could see where you were going. Hey, is it alright if I keep this?" Chie asked the bear.

"Fo' sho!"

"We'll have to stop here today… but I'll be back with these puppies!" Chie then looked at the two boys. "You guys better not come here without me, got it!?"

"Yeah, let's all promise each other… nobody goes in alone. It's way too dangerous. If we don't work together, we won't be able to solve this case or save Yukiko-san… right?" Yosuke looked at Yu as he said that. Yu nodded in agreement. They need to work together for this. "You're right, Yosuke."

"Yeah, I agree. I promise too." Chie agreed to it as well. With that out of the way…

"Let's save Yukiko!" Yu encouraged them all, smiling. They all nodded, the same smiles on the others' faces too. They'll give it their best to prevent another death from happening in the town of Inaba and save Yukiko.

Yosuke then spoke up. "Alright, so from tomorrow on, we'll try and come here as much as we can after school… and that includes days off." He glanced at the silver-haired boy, feeling like he could suggest what he was about to say next. "Hey… would you mind being our leader?"

"H-huh? Me?" Yu looked at him in surprise.

"You were the first to get this power, and you're way better in a fight than either of us. I think it's bet for all of us if you set the pace of the investigation, and we follow your lead. I'm cool playing second banana."

"Well…" The smaller boy hesitated for a moment. An ex-delinquent becoming a leader of a group again…? He's in no place to become one after what he had done during that time. But they were actually trusting him to become their leader, a person who had used a katana to nearly…

_…Red, there's so much red. On his blade, his hands, his face **,** their **body** …_

…He _can't_ let them down, at the very least. He doesn't have the heart to refuse them that. He's warmed up to them enough…

_If they knew, they'd leave. No one wants to be friends with a former delinquent, or a crossdresser._

_But the pain of being abandoned and alone is terrible._

His mind was made up.

"Alright then. Leave it to me."

Yosuke nodded. "I had a feeling you'd say that. I mean, I'm more the advisor type, y'know? An ideas man, not an executive."

"I'm with Yosuke. If you're the one calling the shots, I'd feel a lot more comfortable about this," Chie added. "I'm with Yosuke too. If you're the one calling the shots, my pillow will be a lot more comfortable at night." Teddie also joined in at the idea.

The brunette girl somewhat glared at the bear. "Teddie, would you please stop talking. I'm really on edge right now…"

Yu could only look at them with a sad smile. Despite his regrets, he's been unanimously appointed as team leader. Their days of pursuing this case alongside each other have begun… and he needs to give it his all to make sure they won't suffer for mistakes in his leadership.

…He felt another Social Link forming as a voice whispered in his mind, speaking of the _Fool Arcana_. Seems like their team was a Social Link of its own. Once the voices faded out, he was brought to reality by Yosuke's voice.

"Okay. Let's get some rest for today so we're ready for tomorrow on. And don't forget to check the weather forecast. It gets foggy after a lot of rain, so let's keep an eye out. Also, let's make sure we gear up for next time," Yosuke suggested to them all. Yu and Chie nodded, then they all went back to the real world.

* * *

 

Yu returned home after walking Chie home with Yosuke to make sure she didn't fall unconscious on the way there. He hoped that his uncle wouldn't be too angry with him for returning home a bit later than usual.

At dinner, his uncle, cousin and himself all ate their dinner quietly while the TV played the nightly news like usual.

…Yu tried to pay no mind to the stern expression on Ryotaro's face, acting like there was nothing going on in his life.

"Hey. Mind if I ask something?"

He just jinxed himself.

The silver-haired boy looked up at his uncle. "What is it, uncle?"

"You aren't getting involved with any strange business, are you…? What happened at the station this afternoon… it's still bothering me. Is there… anything you're not telling me?"

Well, he is fighting personifications of humanity's dark side inside a world that exists within a TV in order to save people that were thrown in by a madman with the help of his new friends and their mythological allies called Personas. Other than that, nothing.

…Yes, Yu knew that's a stupid answer. Sarcasm wasn't exactly his strong point, was it?

Yu shook his head. "Don't worry, uncle. Nothing's wrong."

"…Is something bothering you? Believe me, I do feel bad that I've been too caught up with work for us to have time to talk…"

Nanako became distressed at the conversation. "What's wrong? Are you fighting…?"

Ryotaro shook his head quickly. "No… we're not having a fight."

"This isn't the police station…"

The man merely sighed and looked at his nephew. "I agreed to look after you. So don't get yourself involved in anything that could get you in trouble, especially something like when you were in junior high. Got that?"

Yu bit the inside of his mouth, solemnly nodding. He really can't erase that part of his life no matter how hard he tries… and he… just can't do a thing about it, no matter how he feels.

The weather forecast on the news started. It won't be cloudy or raining for a while longer… they still had some time to save Yukiko.

* * *

 

The next day…

Yu went to school like usual, wondering if Chie was alright. Yosuke felt the same way, thinking about that too as they talked to each other in class.

"I wonder how Chie's doing. Too much stuff happened yesterday. I hope she's back to her usual self…" The brunette mused. Just as he said that, the classroom doors slid open to reveal said athletic girl. Chie went over to them, looking much better. "Oh, mornin'."

"You okay…?" Yu asked her, concerned for her health.

"Yep." Chie nodded and fell silent for a few seconds. "Um… thanks for everything yesterday. It's kind of embarrassing, ya know? You two were there to see my hidden feelings and all…" She blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Don't sweat it." Yosuke grinned. Heck, Yu was there to see his own hidden feelings.

"The same thing happened to Yosuke, right? Soooo… what was it like?"

"Huh? Uhhh, how should I put this…" Yosuke didn’t know how to put it, when a thought crossed his mind. Yu never did have to face a shadow. "Oh, I nearly forgot! None of that happened when yours awakened, huh?" he asked, looking at the silver-haired boy. "Hmmm, could that be because you've got nothing to hide?"

"Oh? So nothing happened for you?" Chie was surprised at that. "I gotta agree that you seem like a pretty open guy. There's a funny air about you… I dunno, I guess that's what draws people to you, or something like that."

"…Was that a compliment?" Yu was almost about to reject that idea. He did have secrets of his own, but… it did give him something to think about. _Why_ did he not have to face his own shadow when he got his Persona? He had a lot of things to hide.

But in a way, it's a blessing in disguise. Chie and Yosuke won't have to find out the secrets of his life and past.

"Haha, yep, it's a compliment." Chie smiled at him, not knowing of the smaller boy's thoughts. "Uh… if you say so…" Yosuke wasn't so sure about that though.

"Anyways, what's most important right now is to rescue Yukiko. I'm dead set on coming. Remember… you promised."

"Oh crap, I still haven't gone to the bathroom!" Yosuke suddenly remembered and ran off, leaving Chie and Yu alone. The silver-haired boy just snorted at that – better than asking Mr. Morooka to go to the bathroom, at least.

Chie spoke up to get his attention. "Uh… hey, um… th-thanks for saving me… Yosuke's cool and all, but… there really is something different about you. I feel like you won't let me down…" She was really grateful to him.

Yu felt a faint bond forming between himself and her… and with it came the same voice, speaking of the _Chariot Arcana_. He now had a Social Link with Chie. At that small event, he realized that he hasn't asked Chie for her contact information.

"Chie, can you give me your phone number? It's for the investigation," he asked her. Chie noticed that when he did so. "Oh… right. you'll need this from now on, huh?"

The both of them took out their cells and exchanged their numbers with each other. After that, they kept their handphones into their pocket. "We have to be careful of the fog that sets in after the rain, right? Let's save her before that happens!" she said with determination.

Yu nodded, smiling. "Let's save her."

They'll be continuing their journey into the castle this afternoon.

* * *

 

That afternoon…

After getting the necessary things for the journey into the TV world, Yu wondered if he should try fusing some Personas that he just got on his last trip in Yukiko's castle. Seeing that there was no harm in doing that, he decided to go to the central shopping district where the Velvet Room door was.

With the Velvet Key, he used it to enter.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ah… welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor's voice greeted him as he entered the limousine, sitting in the same place with Margaret. "What can we do for you today?"

"I'd like to fuse some Personas, if you wouldn't mind…" Yu answered, taking a seat himself. Igor fixed him a grin and went on to explain how 'fusion' worked. "Now, what kind of fusion would you like to do?"

"A normal one, please."

"Now, which Personas do you wish to fuse?"

Yu looked at the possible results for some of the Personas he had, like Pixie, Asparas, and some others. It took a bit of thinking, but he soon got a few new Personas from fusing some of them. With his request done, he thanked them before excusing himself to exit the room.

It's time he went to Junes and called the others.

* * *

 

After Yu called both Yosuke and Chie, the trio headed to Junes and went into the TV world, going to the castle once more. When they entered… Teddie noticed something. "Hrmm… Sensei, can I bother you for a second?"

"What is it, Teddie?" Yu looked at the bear, setting his katana down for a moment.

"The road here seems different from yesterday, so this place might get pretty tricky… I'll do my best to remember where we walked, so try not to get lost, Sensei. Anyways, I don't sense anyone around this area. If you go further ahead, we might be able to find something. Be careful and move on."

"I'll keep that in mind." Yu was getting a little frustrated at all these shenanigans with the TV world, admittedly. Not even the insides of the castle itself was set in stone… hopefully they don't get lost. But seeing that the halls only changed when they left, it's possible that they won't get lost too easily.

They started their path through the halls of the castle in search of Yukiko, not knowing of what they'll see in the next floor…

~*~*~*~*~*~

In a small battle against some shadows, Yu showcased his Wild Card ability for the first time to the others. It surprised his other two friends, but they didn't address it until the battle was over. The two ran over to him, quite surprised at the new info.

"Whoa!" Yosuke looked at his friend in surprise. "You have another Persona?!"

"Uh, more like I have about four at the moment…" Yu sheepishly answered. "I have something called the Wild Card ability which allows me to carry more than one Persona at a time."

"Man, that's cool! If only I could do that too…" The brunette boy grinned at his friend. "This'll be great! You just have the extra firepower we need, Yu!" Chie was all fired up to beat some shadows now. Their leader would be crucial in their battles in this world.

Yu just kept smiling at them, though he felt much like a hypocrite. He didn't want to fight after going through much pain as a delinquent, yet here he is, actually _enjoying_ the thrill of the battles against the shadows.

He just hoped that he wouldn't forget the values he forced onto himself.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon reaching the same grand ruby red doors of the second floor, they were closed shut with a dark presence behind it. Teddie had warned the trio that _something_ was waiting behind it, and he was right.

Standing in the middle of the room was a girl who wore a pink dress, had long and flowing black hair… and the same dark blue aura around her. This was a shadow, but…

"Yukiko…?" Chie thought it was her best friend. "Yukiko-san! Are you all right!?" Yosuke did too.

"Yukiko… what's wrong?"

Suddenly, a spotlight shined on top of 'Yukiko' as she began to laugh, her voice laced with distortion. " ** _Heehee… ahahahahahahahah!_** " She then turned around, a microphone in her hand. Her eyes were a same striking yellow colour as Yosuke's shadow. " ** _Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into all this!_** " She chuckled, speaking and moving with such a flaunting demeanour. " ** _Things are really heating up! Okie-dokie! I'm going back to the hunt for my Prince Charming! Ohhh, where could he be…? This place is huge! It's sooo exciting, but it makes it so hard to find him! Ooh! Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek in the fog! Ready or not, here I come! Let's go further in then, shall we!?_** "

Promptly after saying that, a sign that looked like as if it came right out of a TV show appeared on top of her with a 'revealing' sound effect playing. It bore the words ' _Princess Yukiko's Hunt for her Prince Charming!_ ', all in bright and colourful hues.

This was just getting weirder.

"Wh-What the hell is this!?" Yosuke nearly yelled, staring at the sight with wide eyes. Chie finally realised that this 'Yukiko' wasn't _her_ Yukiko. "You're… you're not Yukiko… who are you!?"

Yukiko's shadow merely chuckled. " ** _Wh_ _at're you talking about? I'm Yukiko… and Yukiko is me._** "

"No! Don't tell me, are you--!?" The brunette girl gasped at the single fact that this was her best friend's _shadow_. "Where's the real Yukiko!?"

Right after Chie said that, loud murmurs came from every direction in the area that drowned out all the other sounds. It startled the group for a moment. "What's with these voices…!?" Yosuke looked around in alarm. "The Shadows are getting agitated!" Teddie warned them.

The shadow paid no mind to it, being the 'owner' of the castle. She smiled teasingly at the four of them. " ** _Well, I'm off again! Heehee! You'd better be waiting with bells on, my dear Prince!_** " Then she turned around to leave, running deeper into the castle.

"Hey, wait!" Chie tried to chase her but couldn't go far without risking getting separated from Yu and Yosuke. She turned to face Yu and Yosuke, a bit troubled. "That clearly wasn't the real Yukiko. It had to be…"

"I think it was. It must have been the other part of herself," Teddie answered for her. It made the most sense. "So it's just like what happened to us…" Yosuke murmured, thinking back to his own encounter with his shadow.

"But I don't think she was excited for nothing. The real Yukiko wants to show us something. I can feel it. It's hard to explain… it seems like she has a strong connection to this castle. This is a lot more dangerous than I thought!" Teddie added, now getting worried. It barely took a moment for Chie to turn back and run off to chase the shadow. "Yukiko…!"

Yosuke tried to call her, but she was too far to hear him. "Hey… not again! Dammit, we told her not to run off on her own!"

"We better get to her then," Yu said, so they all ran off in the direction Chie went. Luckily they caught up to her in time and calmed her down enough before they could push on to the next floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they did, things got stranger and stranger.

They could hear voices from somewhere… and it was Yukiko's voice. More exactly, Yukiko's shadow. " ** _Teeheehee… my Prince will soon come for me… I'll always be waiting… forever and ever…_** "

Teddie was deep in thought at that event. "Hrmmm… I hear voices, but the only things I sense here are Shadows and you guys. Sensei and Shadows… oooh, there we go!" He smiled mischievously and looked at Yu. "Hey Sensei! Listen to this. When you attack Shadows from behind, Sensei will have a Sensei-tional advantage! Sensei's Sensai-tional advantage! Heeheehee…"

"Uh… okay. Thanks." Yu would've nearly cursed at that pun had he still acted like a delinquent, but he's changed his attitude enough to hold in that urge. If only they could deploy the bear's puns against the shadows – that'd be a real challenge.

…He guessed that the shadows would probably explode to shadowy bits if they actually could do that. But it's just wishful thinking at this point.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

On the fourth floor, they heard more voices. This time, it was Yukiko's voice. Not the shadow's.

_"Welcome. Thank you for coming to the Amagi Inn today. Your room is right this way. If we can help you in any way, please let us know immediately."_

Teddie was confused. "…What's this voice talking about? This place isn't an inn. It's totally a castle!"

Yu just sighed. The bear just can't get it, can he?

~*~*~*~*~*~

For the fifth floor, Teddie kept sniffing the air in his attempts to find the shadow. "Where is she…?"

" ** _Hmhmhm… ohoho…_** " It was the shadow's voice, echoing through the foggy halls that have noticeably turning into a darker red the higher they went, almost like the colour of blood. Teddie noticed that and quickly alerted the others. "I can sense her! She must be on this floor!"

" ** _Wow! By any chance, are you… my Princes? I'm locked up here… please save me! Hmhmhm… I'm sure my Princes can do it… I'm sure they'll brave any danger to release me from this place… I'll be waiting for you… ohoho…_** "

The bear grew suspicious upon hearing the shadow's voice. "This seems very strange… be careful."

"We will." Yu nodded before continuing to lead the others through the floor. However, it was quickly becoming a confusing one as whenever they tried to approach a door, they were teleported away. Heck, most of the doors were locked.

However, the silver-haired boy soon noticed that if they backtracked after being teleported away, they were able to travel further up until another door before being teleported again. With that knowledge, the group kept trying the doors… till they reached one particular door.

"I sense someone beyond this door… it's that girls' scent!" Teddie told them.

"You guys ready?" Yu asked both Yosuke and Chie, to which the two nodded in response. "Alright, let's go." With that, he opened the doors and rushed in with them.

It was a choice they regretted instantly.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the room was Yukiko's shadow… alongside a giant shadow that looked like a cavalry knight except that the horse was practically floating in place where its legs should be. The shadow chuckled as she looked at the group. " ** _My Prince wouldn't lose to guards such as this, correct?_** "

"Gyaaaaaah! I've never seen such a strong one before!" Teddie panicked at the sight. Right as he did, the giant shadow then attempted to attack them.

"I-It's attacking us!"

They were thrown into battle with the shadow – an Avenger Knight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The shadow stood intimidatingly in the middle of the room, towering over the teenagers as they were forced to fight against it. "This shadow is stronger than the ones we faced before – be careful!" Teddie warned them.

Yu kept that in mind and focused on the enemy. With a quick Rakunda spell on the shadow, he let the next person attack, who happened to be Chie. When she tried a physical attack on the shadow though, it barely did any damage. "No way…!"

The silver-haired boy quickly realised what that meant. "It's resistant to physical attacks… try an elemental attack, Yosuke!"

"Okay, partner! Come on, Jiraiya!" Yosuke then summoned his Persona and casted Garu on the shadow, dealing a lot more damage this time. "It's not going down, though…!"

The shadow still stood tall and strong, now having its turn to attack. Looking at Yu, it readied its lance to attack. "Watch out, Sensei!" Teddie called out in alarm, but it came too late as the shadow struck the smaller boy with its mighty strength, nearly killing him.

"Aargh!" Yu doubled over in pain as the lance pierced his side, stumbling in his steps to keep steady. This shadow was really strong… much stronger than he had thought it would be, despite Teddie's warnings. He breathed heavily to try and numb the pain as it was his turn again.

He used some medicine to heal himself up, as leaving himself weak would be a death wish with this kind of shadow.

"We need to take it out quick!" Chie shouted as she summoned Tomoe, casting Bufu on the shadow. Seeing Yu get hit like that was terrifying – it was a reminder that the silver-haired boy was still human, no matter how reliable he looked.

Yosuke glanced at Yu worriedly and decided to use his turn to cast Dia on his friend, healing the injury up. "Y-Yosuke… thanks." The smaller boy felt much better as that spell was cast on him, but now someone was going to pay the price for stalling the defeat of the shadow.

That someone… just happened to be himself again. "Gyaargh!"

"Why is it focusing on Yu so much?!" Chie looked at their leader in worry. Yu was barely able to stand with his new injury, struggling to even straighten himself. He spoke in a shaky voice, but he wasn't dispirited at his current situation. "D-don't mind me… Chie, cast… Tarukaja on me. Yosuke, cast Garu again. I think I have a way to defeat it quicker."

"O-okay, chief!" Chie used Tomoe to cast Tarukaja on the silver-haired boy, increasing his attack power. Yosuke nodded hesitantly and cast Garu on the shadow, dealing some more damage. "Hold on a bit longer, partner…!"

Yu straightened himself despite the wound, summoning one of his newly fused Personas – Orobas. It looked like a horse except with a humanoid body, red and white fur, plus human hands and arms while its lower legs were still of a horse's.

"Orobas!" He called out to it, watching as said Persona appeared in front of him. "Agi!" He casted a fire attack on the shadow, dealing much more damage than expected with the attack boost and the stronger Persona. "Wow, Sensei doing quite well!" Teddie commented from afar, complimenting the silver-haired boy.

"Yeah, but the shadow's gonna attack again!" Yosuke alerted them as it was the Avenger Knight's turn once more. This time it aimed at Chie, attempting to strike her with its lance… yet it missed as her quick reflexes dodged it. "That was close!"

"Now give it all you got…!" Yu ordered as he cast Agi again, getting the shadow's health down even more. They might be able to just win this. Both Yosuke and Chie let out sounds of confirmation and cast both Garu and Bufu respectively, which was enough to defeat the shadow at last.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they looked around after they finished the battle, Yukiko's shadow had already disappeared off to wherever she could be now. On the floor was a glass key, which could probably open the doors on this level… but they were in no shape to continue, especially Yu. Thankfully Yosuke had some energy left to cast a healing spell on the smaller boy, so he wasn't exactly limping back out to the real world later.

They could hear the shadow's voice coming from somewhere.

" ** _Ohoho… if you really are my Prince, then we will surely meet again. I am but a trapped soul… I cannot leave this place even if I wished… ahahaha…_** "

Silence followed.

Teddie sniffed the air a few times. "I don't sense her anymore…" He looked around for a moment until he remembered what happened to Yu in the battle against the Avenger Knight. "Oh! Are you okay, Sensei? I'm sure we've got a long way to go. Don't push yourself too hard! If you're tired, you should head back!"

Yu uncertainly looked at the door that led to the exit of this small room and back to the hallways of the castle. It's true that he's tired, but he felt bad that it could be because of him they can't go further… then again, Yosuke and Chie had endured some damage of their own. They really need a break for today. "…Okay, let's go back."

They wouldn't be of any use if they were… well, dead… anyway.

Yosuke and Chie wordlessly nodded, and so they did went back.

* * *

 

Yui went up to her room, exhausted after all that fighting and traversing through the foggy hallways of the castle. She did greet Nanako when she arrived but was just too tired to do anything else. While they were in some pressure to save Yukiko, she did glance at the weather forecast at her TV after turning it on.

It wouldn't be raining for a while, so they still had some time.

With a huff, she changed out of her stuffy school clothes and slipped into her night clothes. She went to her futon and tried to go to bed, but despite her tiredness… she can't seem to find the heart to actually go to sleep.

Her thoughts could only return to the thrill of the battles in the TV world, a freedom she had loved and desired after so long of following orders from her family. The katana she had used back then had already been disposed of, but the one she was using right now felt just right in her hands either way.

She felt guilty.

Shaking her head, Yui turned her head to the pillow.

Yes, it was something she loved. But it's a regret too. She must not ever go back to the way she was before, and she must also remain the person she was.

A leader today, a former delinquent yesterday.

It has to remain that way, until they find the culprit before the year ended… or fail trying.


	7. A Sense of Normalcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new city boy finally gets a taste of life in Inaba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I did not expect to finish this chapter within a few hours of posting the sixth chapter. Oh well. This one focuses more on Social Links, but we'll be returning to the castle in the next chapter, so hold onto your horses, we'll be fighting with fire in the next chapter.
> 
> Thanks to those who gave kudos, and comments are always appreciated (except flames!). Anyways, on with the chapter!

Yui didn't exactly had a nice sleep after all those thoughts about her time as a delinquent, but she got enough so she wasn't too sleepy at school the next day. As she was about to exit her room though, her phone rang.

"Who would be calling at this hour…?" She took out her phone and answered the call in a lower voice. "Hello?"

She did not expect to hear Margaret's voice on the other end.

_"Hello… I realize this is sudden, but… I'm Margaret. We met at the Velvet Room the other day. There is one important point I forgot to warn you about, so I thought it best to contact you immediately. Going to save your friends is a selfless and noble deed… by all means, we encourage and support you in regards to this matter. But to proceed to hastily in that quest will mean facing one battle after the next. Though you may be pressed for time, devoting yourself to battles will not quench your heart's yearnings. The bonds created through Social Links are another important means of strengthening the powers of your Persona… do not hasten heedlessly through your days, and remember the importance of moving at a sustainable pace. Please remember that. Well then, if you'll excuse me…"_

The call ended just like that, leaving the girl in silence. In a way… Margaret was right. The battles in the TV world were becoming difficult the further they went, and if what was said was true, then her actions outside of the TV is just as important to becoming strong… she can't neglect it.

Maybe it's time they took a short break from traversing the foggy world inside the TV.

* * *

 

While on the way to school, Yu overheard a small conversation by a pair of two students.

"The sports clubs are starting to accept applicants today! Which one should I join?"

"Weren't you asking the same thing last year? And the year before that?"

"Was I? Well, whatever. I shouldn't join a sports team. I need to focus on my entrance exams this year! I need to choose which shrine to wish for luck at with my mother so I can pass the exams. I don't want to go to the shrine near the shopping district, 'cuz it's all shady and creepy, you know…? Not only that, but I heard a rumour that there's something living in that shrine! I wonder if it's true…"

Hm. Sports clubs, huh... well, he hasn't played soccer in a long while since elementary school. He was kind of out of shape since last year as that was the year he focused entirely on his studies, trying to make up for the time he wasted acting against his parents as a delinquent in school.

…No harm in joining one. He'll have to make up for his smaller size and shorter-than-the-average-boy height with agility.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After school ended, Yu headed to the Faculty Office to see what sports clubs were accepting people. Much to his shoddy luck though, it just happened to be Mr. Morooka inside the office. Swallowing down his sudden nervousness, he went ahead to ask his homeroom teacher about it.

Mr. Morooka fixed him a judging look. "Eh? You want to join a club? Ohhh, no! I know what you're really after! You're just trawling for girls, aren't you!? Admit it! Listen up! A club is supposed to be…"

From that point on, Yu just stared blankly at his teacher as he ended up getting lectured for a while. _Damn it_. It took him a moment to snap out of it when Mr. Morooka finally finished his lecture.

"…So, still want to join a club?"

The silver-haired boy blinked a few times. "Y-yes. What sports clubs are available, sir?"

Again, his teacher took it wrongly. "Trying to break a youthful sweat, are you!?"

Yu just tried to endured through it.

Eventually, Mr. Morooka did answer his question. "…You can join either the soccer club or the basketball club. After leaving the faculty office, make a left, and go through the exit to get to where the sports clubs meet! By the way, club days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday! Sports clubs don't meet on rainy days! Got it!?"

"Yes, sir. Excuse me, sir." With the info he needed attained, Yu quickly left the room. He would rather do _anything_ than to talk with his homeroom teacher for even one more second. But learning that there was a soccer club available, he had already made up his mind about it.

He'll be joining the soccer club for this year.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The physical exercise teacher introduced him to the students of the soccer club after their training for the day finished. "…Alright guys, listen up, You have a new teammate! You all know Yu Narukami, right? He's from the city, so I'm sure he's got some moves he's just waiting to show off! I'd say this season is in the bag! I'm even thinking about making him captain!"

Yu tried to ignore it, but his ears could hear the whispers coming from the club members.

"The city, huh?" "I bet he played for some big team back home…" "Tch, look at him. City slicker…" "Probably thinks he's better than us…" "Yeah, we're just a bunch of hicks to him…"

The silver-haired boy quietly took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Those whispers sounded awfully familiar to the ones he got back in junior high, though the context was only different.

"Here, why don't you say something to the team?" The teacher suggested to him. Yu looked at the other club members and decided that he'll try to play it cool with them. "It is nice to meet you all."

The members only replied with a nonchalant sound. They didn't seem very friendly…

Well, he'll show them one day. He did go through such rigorous training to inherit a nationwide - and somewhat an internationally famous company at a young age, became a delinquent in junior high to the point of gaining the nickname 'Kingpin' back in his time, and was fairly great with his grades when he focused back on them. He'll prove himself!

"Alright, let's start with a few laps!" The teacher announced before glancing at the silver-haired boy. "Yu, why don't you just watch for today? Practices are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but we don't practice in the rain. We take the week before exams off too, so make sure you use that time to study hard, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Yu nodded in understanding, and so the teacher then went off to monitor over the other club members. The other players dispersed about the field, though he noticed that some did show an interest in him but didn't bother.

Except for one guy.

"…Hey man. Don't let 'em get to you. Just play hard and have fun," A brunette boy who appeared quite to be a tough person told him. "I'm Daisuke Nagase. Second year, same as you. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, hello. Nice to meet you too, Daisuke," Yu greeted him in response. As he did, he noticed someone else coming over, dressed in a white shirt, blue sports pants and white sneakers. "Yo Daisuke, you waiting for a special invitation? Let's go!" The boy soon noticed Yu, though. "Oh, hey, you're the transfer student, right? Joined the soccer team, huh? Good, 'cause they need all the help they can get. Pretty weak team, know what I'm saying?"

Daisuke frowned at what the guy said. "Shut up! Your team is just as lame!" He glanced at Yu. "This big mouth here is Kou. He's the same grade as us, but he's on the basketball team."

Well, they seemed like decent guys. At least.

"Kou Ichijo. I'm the basketball team's up-and-coming MVP," Kou introduced himself, acting a little conceited. Daisuke just rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Man, get your head outta the clouds."

"Hey, and that's not all! I'm pretty smart too, so if you need any help on your tests, I'm your man." Kou grinned before looking at Yu. "How 'bout it, transfer student? You a smart guy?"

The brunette boy sighed. "Stop calling him that. The team's already giving him enough crap as it is…"

"Ahhh, I can hear it now. 'Us country folk ain't gonna get shown up by now big shot city boy!'. Gotta love those guys."

"It's not funny, man…"

"Well, as long as he's got some skills, they'll back off sooner or later. You played much soccer before, Yu?"

"It's been a while, but I did play plenty back then. I think I can get the rust off of my skills if I play enough." Yu gave them a small grin. Soccer used to be one of the ways he could sweat off the stress and frustration he had in his life, until delinquency took him over.

"Then this'll be easy, right?" Kou grinned back. Yu shrugged. "Maybe. I'll keep my head out of the clouds, though." His response got some laughs from the two, and the silver-haired boy felt a bit free with them both.

He found himself becoming friends with the two as they had accepted him regardless of the rest of the team's hostility… he soon felt a faint bond forming between the three of them, the same voice whispering in his head, this time of the _Strength Arcana_.

Daisuke looked at the others, realising how behind he was. "Dammit, now I'm behind on my laps." He looked over at Yu who was having the time off since it was his first time. "Yu, wait up for me so we can walk home together."

"Sure. I'll wait around." Yu nodded. Kou decided to change out of his sports clothes in the meantime. "Alright, I'll go get changed. See you in a few." He walked off, leaving Yu to wait around for Daisuke to finish his laps.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They did make up on that promise, walking each other home while chatting about some stuff. Yu was the last of them to walk home, being the only one left after Daisuke and Kou went back to their respective neighbourhoods.

As he walked down the streets leading up to his uncle's house, he was met with the sight of a familiar looking black car. He stopped in his steps, blinking a few times. What was _this_ doing here? Inaba is way too far for a car as sleek as it to come from the city…

Much to the silver-haired boy's chagrin though, a man dressed in a suit and tie with a matching sleek hairstyle and black sunglasses came out of the car upon noticing him. "Yu, please come here."

"…What has my _grandfather_ sent for me now?" Yu asked in frustration, refusing to take another step closer. "I heard his words. He thought that I was a shameful child for what I've done in junior high school, and I've done everything I can to undo it! Why has he called you here?!"

"You know I can't answer that, Yu. Just come here, he has sent some things for you to study."

"Damn it…" Yu muttered under his breath as he gritted his teeth. Still, he didn't have the courage to refuse what his grandfather would order him to do. "…Fine." He let out an annoyed sigh and approached his grandfather's secretary, staring with a frown at the man where his eyes should be behind the sunglasses.

"Don't be like that, Yu… your grandfather is doing what he can to help you."

"By making me feel bad? I doubt it."

" _Yu_."

The boy then lowered his head, refusing to look up at the secretary. This man was one of the only few he did dare to raise his voice at… but this man was also possibly the only one he dared to speak his thoughts to. "…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you…" he apologized quietly, his tense shoulders sagging down in defeat.

And… this man was the only one he ever thought of as a real father.

His grandfather's secretary could only sigh. "I know you're stressed at having to move here and there because of your parents, and pressure from your grandfather to make up for your mistakes… but I'm still there for you. Just give me a call when you need me, Yu."

Yu solemnly nodded. He wouldn't though. He has to be strong through all this. "What… what did my grandfather send?"

"A few books on business management and the types of clothes, and a book about modern and traditional clothes and fabrics. He wants you to read them and remember it, for he will be asking you to buy some fabrics from someone in this town a month or two later."

"…I will."

"Okay then." The secretary took the bag of books out of the car, which looked fairly heavy although it was just a number of books. "Here you go…" He gave it to the boy, who almost stumbled at the weight. "Careful, Yu."

"J-just caught off guard, that's all. I guess that you'll have to go now…?"

"Sadly, yes… got a lot of work to do back at headquarters. Inaba is pretty far from Tokyo."

"Be careful on your way there, then."

The man smiled at him. "No worries. I'm not your grandfather's secretary if I wasn't." He then entered the car and soon drove off, leaving Yu with his school bag and a bag of books. The silver-haired boy just sighed and silently walked towards his uncle's house.

He'll have to start reading one of them, then. But he couldn't abandon his studies either… for now, he'll have to settle with reading one, just to start off.

Luckily, he's a fast reader. He'll probably start off with the business management books.

* * *

 

The next day…

Yu yawned a little on his way to school, having read one of the books his grandfather sent him till late at night. Most of what was written in it were things he learned in his training, so he was able to skip at least some of the front topics until he came across one that he hadn't learned much about yet and had to read that part in detail.

He pretty much lost track of time in the process.

While he kept on walking, Yosuke ran up to him. "Yo, Yu."

"Oh… hi." Yu tiredly smiled at him in greeting. Yosuke then remembered what he was about to talk to his friend about. "Oh, hey, I came up with an idea I've been meaning to ask you about. We're able to enter TVs now… have you ever tried sticking your hand into a TV when something's on? Like, have you ever touched a TV when the Midnight Channel was on?"

"Tried it. Failed it. Don't even try it unless your TV is small," Yu answered bluntly with a straight face. "Though, you can't just go to where the person on the screen is through that way."

Yosuke blinked a few times until he realised what it meant. "You tried it out already!? Oho, now that's our leader! But, I see… so you can't just go to the same place that's on the screen. So my plan to jump right to where Yukiko-san is while she's on the screen wouldn't work, then… I thought it might work if there was a direct connection between what's on the TV and where you end up… but then again, it makes sense that it doesn't work that way. Different TVs are connected to different places, but everybody can watch the Midnight Channel. That's kind of a contradiction, isn't it?"

"You can think of it that way, but there must be a reason why anyway."

"I guess… so there's no other way but through that castle, no matter how dangerous it might be… still, I'm sure Yukiko-san is in a lot more pain than we are! We can't complain about stuff like this!"

"Mhm…" Yu was kind of out of it after that, though he was awake enough to keep a conversation going and walk to school at the same time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A particular lesson in the afternoon got Yosuke in a tight spot.

The teacher was a strange one, having a hand puppet of himself in his right hand. "Alright, alriiiight. Settle down, now. Class is now underway. My name is Mr. Hosoi, and in this class you'll be learning about contemporary writing. Let's all have fun. I know this is off-topic, but what's the point of applying for colleges outside Inaba? Why even bother? Nothing good ever comes out of competing with city-folk. The country side is all you need. Mmmhmm. Well, let's practice our spelling. Which of the following words is spelled correctly?" He looked around, trying to find someone to ask… and his eyes fell on Yosuke. "You! Hana-chan! You're just the kind of guy who relies on his PC's spell check!"

"Huh!? Well, he got that right, but…" Yosuke glanced at Yu discreetly, looking troubled. "…Yu! Help me out here?"

Yu just chuckled quietly. "Millennium, with a double 'l' and 'n'." His English was fairly good because of his training, and he did know a little bit more of French and Spanish. All because of his training that his grandfather gave him, of course.

Yosuke then gave the answer, to which the teacher nodded. "Ooh, good job, Hana-chan! The word 'millennium' is very commonly misspelled. As you know, the word 'millennium' comes from the Latin word 'mille', meaning 'thousand', and 'annum', meaning 'year'. Remember when 1999 became the year 2000? Lots of words came out of that shift, like millennium baby, or millennium bug."

The brunette boy looked back at his friend, smiling. "Phew… you're a life saver, Yu. Thanks."

"You should brush up on your studies a little if you don't want to end up like this again," Yu commented, quietly laughing. "Aw, dude. Not cool…!" The brunette still smiled anyway, grinning at his friend's comment about his knowledge. "Say, wanna hang out with me later? We can take a break from the TV world for now."

"Sure, I don't mind."

"It's a plan, then!"

The two of them then focused back on the lesson before the teacher called out of them for not listening.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That evening, Yosuke led Yu to the shopping district, where they ate at the Souzai Daigaku. The famous steak croquettes here are kind of tough, though…

"Sticking chunks of steak in croquettes… man, this really is the country, huh? Well, it is good… though it's tough," Yosuke commented about it. "Chie called this stuff 'tender and juicy'… what kinda teeth does she have…?"

"Probably bear teeth," Yu replied jokingly. The brunette laughed at that. "Well, she does have a huge appetite for meat."

As they ate, they overheard a conversation from two women from the shopping district as the pair walked by. They noticed Yosuke and began to gossip.

"He's from Junes… Yasogami High School, right?"

"His classmate… Sato-san…? Went out of business…"

"This shopping district could disappear, and yet…"

Yosuke sighed. "Sorry about that. You know me, I'm infamous around here."

"It must be tough…" Yu had an idea how hard it could be, being the son of the man who handled the store that was probably running every other store in Inaba out of business. Yosuke just shrugged. "Nahhh, it's not really. It's mainly my parents; I'm not personally involved. Anyways, there's nothing I can do about it."

He then looked at Yu, merely smiling. "I don't think there's anyone in Inaba who doesn't know me, at school or around town… not that I mind, but… it sucks that I always gotta mind my manners."

The silver-haired boy smiled back, feeling like he understood his friend a bit more. Suddenly, he felt something deep within him evolve… and realised that his bond with Yosuke had grown stronger, alongside the _Magician Social Link_. It was a bit different than establishing a new bond, but he did feel something.

Yosuke remained unaware of it, continuing to eat his steak croquette. "Still, this croquette is damn good, huh? I'm gonna have another. You want one too, right?"

"Uh, well…" Yu was already feeling full with his, but he can't let his friend down… so he just rolled with it.

…Admittedly, it felt nice to just enjoy life itself. Yu wondered when was the last time he ever did enjoy going out with friends…

* * *

 

On Thursday, it was a rainy day.

Yu had spent last night reading the same book from Tuesday night, having read up to about half of it. It'll take him some more days to finish the rest of it, but it should of be no problem to him.

As he kept walking, Yosuke ran up to him again like yesterday. "Yo, Yu. I hear that it's gonna be sunny for a while, starting this afternoon. Looks like we're not gonna have to worry about the fog for now. The fog always sets in around the morning after it's rained for a few days."

"We'll be okay for a while?" Yu asked, making sure he understood that correctly. The brunette nodded in response, smiling in determination. "Yeah. Let's keep our cool, make sure we're ready, and rescue Yukiko-san, no matter what!"

The silver-haired boy nodded, smiling back the same way. He planned to go into the TV world soon – they'll save Yukiko, no matter what.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Since the rain cleared up, the soccer club had practice for the day. Yu decided to join it, changing into the soccer outfit that had been given to him the day he joined it officially.

After practice finished, one of the players spoke up to him. "Hey, Narukami. Tear down the goals and clean up before you leave, alright?"

Yu would've spoken back had he been ruder – considering his past as a delinquent, he could, but he decided to let it pass. "Got it."

"Haha, later!" Then all the others left, leaving the silver-haired boy to clean up on his own. Sighing, he was about to do just that when he noticed Daisuke approaching him. "…? What were those guys saying to you?" he asked him.

"I have to tear down the goals and clean up, apparently."

"What? Everyone's supposed to take turns… you don't have to do that, man. Let's just go home."

Kou arrived a moment after that. "Hey guys… hm, did the soccer team finish early today?" When he noticed the look on Daisuke's face, he had a feeling that something was off. "…What's wrong?"

Yu just repeated what he had told Daisuke a few moments earlier. Kou shook his head, frowning. "Let me guess, they told you it was your job? Tch… how predictable. But yeah, you should probably do it anyway."

"How come? They got no right to dump it all on him…" Daisuke protested.

"Don't do it because they told you to, do it because you 'want to help'. That'll throw 'em off guard. Here, I'll help out too. It'll go faster." Kou then ran off to start helping Yu clean up, and the other two quickly followed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Cleaning up the field was much harder work than Yu had expected, so he was glad that both Daisuke and Kou stayed around to help him.

"Whew, I'm beat…" Kou murmured, wiping his brow of sweat. "That's because you got into polishing those balls, man. You gotta pace yourself," Daisuke told him, not as tired as the raven-haired boy.

"Nah, it's not my style to half-ass things."

"Still, it went pretty fast with three people."

"Thanks for the help, you guys," Yu told them with a smile. He was really glad for their help. "No problem." Daisuke looked happy at the thanks. "Hey, you wanna grab some ramen on the way home?" Kou asked them both.

The smallest boy of the three couldn't stop smiling, sensing both Kou and Daisuke's consideration towards him… which made him felt his bond with them grow stronger as the _Strength Social Link_ did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They headed to Aiya in the central shopping district to have that ramen, to which Yu had noticed something about a rainy day special on the doors. He decided to check it out later and went to ate ramen with Kou and Daisuke.

While they were eating, they chatted a little.

"Hey, I saw that first-year at your practice today, Daisuke. She was watching you the entire time, man. I even heard her say, 'Wow, he kicked the ball so hard!'. I mean, duh… that's kinda the point of the game…" Kou commented, looking at the brunette.

Daisuke was silent for a few seconds. "…I didn't notice."

"Really? What a waste."

"Enough of that crap. Yu, wanna stay after practice to work on your game a little more? Let's show those guys what you can do," Daisuke then suggested to Yu. "Oh, I guess that'll help me get better. Sure." The silver-haired boy nodded in agreement to the idea. He hasn't forgotten his promise to himself… he'll prove himself to the others.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. If you can run circles around them, they'll have to accept you, right?" Kou agreed to the idea too. "Exactly. Then it's decided. You're helping too, Kou," Daisuke suddenly declared at that.

"What? Since when do I have anything to do with the soccer team…?"

Their conversation after that became a discussion about practice…

* * *

 

Friday was a fairly clear day, so Yu went to school and almost expected that no one was greeting him as he couldn’t see Yosuke anywhere on the way there.

He was proven wrong as he was greeted by the brunette at the school gates. "Hey, Yu. It rained yesterday, but it didn't feel like there was gonna be any fog, did it? Looks like the weather's gonna be nice for a while, so a little rain's not gonna hurt anything. But… were you able to sleep last night?"

Yu scratched his head. "Not at all." It was making him more tired, but it helped him to quickly read up on the business management book, now on the brink of finishing it. Yosuke laughed a little. "Haha, you too? That makes me feel better. Anyway, let's take everything one step at a time, Leader!"

The silver-haired boy nodded, his smile a little hesitant at the title. 'Leader'… he had to remind himself that he must not let his past delinquency get to him, nor let it change his actions towards others. There were much more pressing matters than his own self problems.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yu decided to hang out some more with Yosuke. The brunette decided that they should go to Okina City by train, which was a small while away from Inaba and quite a different sight to the rural town of Inaba.

It was mostly true, as Yu recognized some traits of Okina City being similar to the city of Tokyo, though the former was more to an urban city than a modern one.

Yosuke looked around with a smile. "Mmmm… it's been a while since I breathed this kinda air! Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent." He became quiet for a moment as he thought back to what he just said. Looking at Yu, he asked him, "Wait a minute… am I starting to sound like Teddie?"

Yu smiled teasingly. "Hmm… well, you're looking hairier than usual."

Yosuke laughed. "Now that you mention it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had…! H-hey, you're making me scare myself!" He smiled back at his friend after he finished laughing. "Well, that aside, what should we—" He was interrupted by his phone ringing. "Oh, a text message."

The brunette boy took out his phone and checked the message he just received. He sighed. "More spam…" He just put his phone back into his pocket, a bit frustrated. "Looks like someone got my address. I get a lot of spam."

"Why not change your address then?" Yu asked him. It was the simplest solution to it.

"…Hmmm, well…" Yosuke looked troubled as he looked at the silver-haired boy. "I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone… it's hard to call, y'know? If I called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed, and some of them might not wanna text me at all…"

Yu thought of that as somewhat stupid. His grandfather's secretary always did hated it when clients changed numbers without telling or did not text what details they wanted on their clothes until the very last minute. It just complicated things even further.

Yosuke brought him out of his thoughts. "Oh but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!" he quickly told him, but fell silent for a moment. He looked down at the pavement, crossing his arms. "Though to tell you the truth, I don't remember what we all used to talk about. Can't really call 'em friends… Inaba suits me just fine. Plus… I got something I need to do there." He glanced back at Yu, smiling again. "I'm counting on ya, partner!"

Smiling back, Yu could definitely sense the enthusiasm coming from the brunette as he understood him a bit more… which led to his bond growing ever deeper alongside the _Magician Social Link_.

Looking at his watch, Yosuke then realised what time it was. "Well, with that in mind, should we head back? It'd suck if something happened back there while we were over here!"

"You could say that…" The smaller boy shrugged, still smiling.

"Alright, let's head home! Wait…" Yosuke thought of something. "Let's get everyone a souvenir, then go home!"

"W-wait, do we even have enough money?"

"Who cares, let's just get what we can!"

"Huh? Yosuke, hold on!" Yu quickly ran after the brunette who ran up the escalators leading up to the insides of Okina Station. They needed to return to Inaba in a hurry before night fell…

* * *

 

Saturday was the same deal as Friday, being clear but somewhat cloudy too.

This time, Yu wasn't greeted by anyone on his way to school, but he did overhear something from the other students.

"I heard they've put up ads for part-time jobs on the town bulletin board! I wonder if there's anything there I can make some easy cash with."

"Hmm… I don't think you have the diligence to handle a job that takes a lot of time."

"That's so mean! Maybe I don't… but, I bet I'll be more diligent if I get a job! I bet you wouldn't do too well with a job where you have to work with others because you lack understanding, huh?"

Part-time jobs, eh?

Yu wondered about it for a moment. Sure, he's busy with his own 'job' as future heir for his grandfather's company… but maybe getting some work experience wouldn't hurt. Besides, it's better than lazing around at home all day. He did just finish one of the books his grandfather gave… and he's left with about five more to go.

…He'll go check it out someday.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu joined soccer practice for the day, training on his skills. After practice finished, one of the other players spoke up to him. "Hey Narukami, you're on cleanup duty today too, alright?" They didn't even wait for a respond as they left him to clean up alone again

Daisuke ran up to him, agitated at the actions of the other players. "Again?!" He sighed, but soon smiled at the chance to do some extra training. "Before we do any cleaning, thought, let's work on your dribbling!" Right as he said that, Kou ran up to them. "Yo. You guys haven't even started? Oh well… want me to toss balls at you or something?"

The brunette shook his head. "This isn't tennis, dude. Go stand over there and play some defence."

"Defence? No problem! You should see me on a basketball court." Kou grinned at that. Yu looked at them both, grateful that they were helping him practice with their free time. As he could sense their consideration towards him again, he felt his bond with them deepen once more, alongside the _Strength Social Link_.

They were about to start when two female students approached them, with one of them beginning to speak nervously to Daisuke. "Uh, um, hey, D-Daisuke-kun! Practice is over, right? D-Do you wanna, um…?"

The brunette boy looked at her with disinterest. "Does it look like I'm done practicing? Seeya."

"Huh? Oh, uh… would you mind if I waited for you? Am I in the way?"

"Yes… you are. We need to concentrate." Daisuke glanced at Yu. "C'mon, Yu, let's get started." He walked off, not bothering to look at the girl who seemed hurt at his words. Kou tried to soften the blow. "H-hey, don't mind him. He's got soccer on the brain, y'know?"

The girl ran off anyway, leaving her friend to follow her slowly.

Kou sensed that something was off. "What's his problem…?" He looked up at the sky for a few seconds at the question but soon turned to face the silver-haired boy. "Well? Are we gonna get started?"

"Y-yeah, let's start." Yu could feel that something was off too. But he had to focus on his training with Daisuke for now… after training for over an hour, they finally cleaned the field up and went home.

* * *

 

Yui got into her futon quietly, tired at her training but thrilled at the adrenaline of it anyway. It was a good alternative to the adrenaline she got in battle… which somewhat curbed her rising addiction to it lately. She's trying to quell it, but it's hard.

Whenever she thought of going _that_ way, her thoughts could only go back to the day where everything was red in her vision. Where her thoughts finally went to the one person that had ever cared for her, whether she was a girl or not… and that person was no longer here.

It stopped her.

It gave her a sense of guilt back. But her body still remembers the thrill.

She didn't know whether she actually hated it now.

Yui stared at the ceiling in silence, her hands twitching at the thought of the battles and training she had in the days before. It was like an incurable addiction, running to her thoughts whenever she wasn't doing anything that required it. It was why she did everything with all of her focus and seriousness – to _stop_ thinking about this… rush of adrenaline.

…She decided that tomorrow, they'll be saving Yukiko once and for all.


	8. Phoenix of the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A red phoenix rages from its cage, wishing to be freed by a charming prince.
> 
> Meanwhile, the sun shines for the silver-haired boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we reach the top of the castle and meet Yukiko's shadow! Next, we see the formation of the Sun Social Link... but who it is, you'll have to read to find out! Heh, maybe this could be a new thing. I'll give the stuff, you find the details!... eh, kind of.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments, even if I get little of them for this story... oh well.
> 
> Anyway, on with the story!

 

The moment Yui got up, she dressed up in her school clothes rather than her casual clothes to get ready for the trip to the TV world. While doing so, she got a call from one of her friends at school – it was Kou.

_"Um, hey, this is Kou. If you're bored, let's hang out. I'll call up Daisuke too. How's that sound?"_

"O-oh, uh, sorry. I'm a little busy today." The silver-haired girl apologized, refusing the offer. She could hear the slight shift in tone in Kou's voice, telling her easily that he was a little sad at that but nonetheless understanding.

_"Is that so… okay then, take care, Yu!"_

The call ended there.

Sighing, Yui then sent a quick text message to both Yosuke and Chie that she wanted them to gather in the food court at Junes.

With that done, she grabbed her equipment and headed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"We're going to save Yukiko today," Yu announced to them both once they arrived, dressed in their school clothes too. "If you have anything else to do, do it now. Otherwise, we're going into the TV world. Ready?"

Yosuke nodded without hesitance. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's save her!" Chie nodded too, pumped up at the idea of actually saving her friend from that world. "Alright, let's go then." Yu led the others to the electronics department, where they waited until no one was watching them before entering the TV world and going to Yukiko's castle.

* * *

 

Somehow, Teddie found a way to make the door open up to the highest floor they'd gotten to. Yu didn't exactly care to know how it worked, but the difference in atmosphere was getting noticeable. The fog which used to be a pastel white was now turning a ruby red like the colour of the halls…

Upon reaching the sixth floor, they heard even more of Yukiko's thoughts.

" **In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it… Let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!** "

_"Shut up!"_

" **Someday, though… that aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors.** "

_"Leave me alone! I'm sick of everything! I'm sick of it…"_

Yu felt sorry for Yukiko. Somehow, being a girl also brought its own fair share of problems…

Teddie looked around in confusion. "I don't get what's going on with all those voices, but I can sense that we're getting closer. Hang in there!"

Just a few more floors left, then.

…For some reason, the silver-haired boy had the nagging urge to find that reporter guy and maybe punch him in the face for being like that to Yukiko. She didn't deserve to ogled like a prize to be won, or like a display at a museum.

It's just… wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the next floor, they heard the shadow's voice.

" ** _Hasn't my Prince come yet? My dear Prince… please hurry and take me away! Somewhere… to a world where no one knows me…_** "

Teddie sniffed the air and jerked up. "It's close! She's just beyond here!"

"We're getting close… don't let your guard down, guys," Yu told both Yosuke and Chie who nodded in response.

The shadows became stronger and harder to beat the higher they went, but they needed to conserve as much energy as possible for what might lie ahead of them when they really did reach the top of this castle. Hopefully Yukiko wasn't too affected by her surroundings…

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the eighth floor, they were greeted by another huge set of doors, but this time grander than the one of the second floor.

"Everyone ready…?" Yu glanced at the others. "Yeah, we've gotten this far. No turning back now," Yosuke replied. "Come on, let's save her…!" Chie got ready with a determined look on her face. "Okay… let's go!" The smaller boy then opened the doors, letting them all run inside.

Standing in front of the throne at the back of the room was Yukiko's shadow… and in front of the steps leading up to it was Yukiko, down on her knees.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out, immediately worried for her best friend. What they saw also confirmed their suspicions – the one wearing the dress truly was Yukiko's shadow. "I knew it… there's two of her!" Yosuke muttered, looking at the shadow and Yukiko.

As they got closer, the shadow finally noticed them and gleefully grinned. " ** _Oh? Ooooh, what's this? Three princes are here to see me?! My, my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late? Awwww… I wish I'd gotten a better look at you!_** " She took a step forward, looking at everyone. " ** _My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…?_** "

A dreamy look appeared on the shadow's face as she continued on. " ** _A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? C'mon… pretty please?_** "

For some reason, Teddie had the gall to be a little attracted. "Oooh. Is this 'scoring a hot stud'?!"

"What? No! That has nothing to do with this." Yu glanced at the bear with an exasperated expression on his face. Chie was a little troubled at what the shadow said, though. "Three princes…? Wait, does that include me, too…?"

Teddie shook his head. "Duh! The third one's gotta be me!"

"Dream on, Teddie…" Yu muttered under his breath, shaking his head. Yosuke sighed. "I seriously doubt that…" he murmured to himself, indirectly agreeing with the silver-haired boy. The bear sure did have a vain side to himself.

Yukiko's shadow merely chuckled. " ** _Chie… yes, she's my Prince…_** "

That took the group by surprise.

" ** _She always leads the way… Chie's a strong Prince… or at least, she WAS._** "

Chie grew confused. "Was…?"

The shadow then began to lash out. " ** _When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough! She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!_** "

The brunette girl could only look at the shadow with sadness in her eyes. "Yukiko…"

At the words uttered by her shadow, Yukiko slowly got up despite the exhaustion in her body. "S-stop…" Her words went ignored by her shadow who continued to pour out her inner thoughts out of its mouth. " ** _Historic inn? Manager training?! I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me! From how I live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! To_ hell _with it all!_** "

Yukiko weakly turned to look her shadow. "That's not true…"

Her shadow turned away from her, the expression on her face turning sweet at her next words. " ** _I just want to go somewhere far away... anywhere but here… someone, please take me away… I can't leave here on my own… I'm completely useless…_** "

Yukiko could only shake her head. "Stop… please stop…"

Then her shadow turned back around to look at everyone. " ** _I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave… so I sit on my ass hoping that someday my Prince will come!_** " It then lashed out once again, shouting its words. " ** _I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a_ damn _! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of_ bullshit _!_** "

That got Yukiko to look up at her shadow, slight anger in her voice. "How dare you…?"

The shadow merely smirked. " ** _That’s how I really feel. Isn't that right… me?!_** "

"N-no…"

The group behind the two realised what Yukiko was about to say. "Stop! Don't say it!" Yosuke shouted at her, but it was too late as it went unheard by the kimono-clad girl.

"No! _You're not me!_ "

…It has been said and done.

The shadow began to grin, cackling madly while the dark blue aura around it became darker and darker. " ** _Heeheehee… aaaah! This feels wonderful! It's building… more and more… if this keeps up… I'll… I'll…! Ahaha! Ahahahahahaha!_** " Her laughter echoed through the throne room as darkness covered her form, changing her into a monster… and once the darkness dispelled itself, it revealed a ruby red phoenix that burst out of a metal cage that was built on top of a chandelier with flaming candles, bearing a white heart sign on its chest and having black hair reminiscent of Yukiko's.

The sudden energy drain caused Yukiko to fall. "Aagh!"

"Yukiko!" Chie stepped forward to try and help her friend, but it was too dangerous with the shadow acting up. "We have to stop it! That girls in danger!" Teddie told them all, quickly going to a safe distance away from the battle. "We know!" Yosuke knew the drill already.

"It's all right, Yukiko… just hang in there! We'll save you!" Chie reassured both Yukiko and herself.

They were once again thrown into battle with someone's shadow… and this one would certainly be stronger than the last.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The red phoenix stood at the edge of its cage, spreading its wings out as it spoke. " ** _I am a shadow… the true self… now, my Prince… why don't we dance and make merry together?_** " It chuckled, still sounding like Yukiko except with that layer of distortion to its voice, something all shadows seem to have.

"Hang in there, Yukiko… I'm right here for you!" Chie called out to her best friend.

" ** _Oh really…? Then I'll make sure to give you plenty to deal with!_** "

So the fight finally started.

The group started off the round by casting some buff spells on themselves and debuff spells on Yukiko's shadow when possible. When it was the shadow's turn, she attacked one of them but didn't deal too much damage with her claws. They were able to attack her a good amount…

…However, the true fight began when she summoned a shadow to her aide.

" ** _We're not done yet. Show me this strength of yours!_** " The shadow spoke with a chuckle. Then she spread her wings, calling to her Prince with a loud eagle-like screech. " ** _Come, my Prince… heeheehee…_** "

Next to her, three spotlights shone onto one spot as a cloud of dust appeared. When it dissipated, a shadow had appeared… a Charming Prince, to be exact, and it looks just as terrible. "Don't underestimate that shadow, Sensei! It's pretty strong!" Teddie warned Yu.

"Alright then." The silver-haired boy nodded and looked at the two shadows, quickly thinking of what to do in this case. They could try to focus on getting rid of the Charming Prince first, but it'll the drag the battle much longer… but focusing on Yukiko's shadow would risk more damage from the Prince.

He decided to try out the first strategy, seeing that their elemental attacks didn't bring out any weaknesses in Yukiko's shadow – heck, maybe she actually _didn't_ have one? That just made things even harder. Looking at the Prince, he started his orders. "Yosuke, Chie, try out your elemental attacks on the Prince to see if it has a weakness. I'll use Zio and Agi when I can."

"You got it, partner!" Yosuke nodded in confirmation and summoned Jiraiya to cast Garu, but it didn't bring out any weaknesses. "He's not weak to wind!"

"Okay, my turn!" Chie also summoned Tomoe and casted Mabufu to deal damage to both shadows. This time, the Charming Prince fell back as the block of ice broke in front of him, which evidently told the teenagers that its weakness was ice.

"You got it, Chie! Do it again!" Yosuke told her as the tides were turned in their favour for now. Chie grinned and casted the same spell, inflicting damage while also making the Charming Prince dizzy. "Good job, Chie," Yu complimented her while using his turn to then attack Yukiko's shadow using Izanagi, cleaving the shadow.

Of course, things can't always remain this smooth.

The red phoenix turned to look at Chie, beginning to cast a spell. Once it spread its wings out with a loud shriek, it casted Agi on the brunette girl, hitting her weakness. "Aaah!" Chie fell down onto the floor as the sudden rush of pain made her legs collapse, leaving her vulnerable to the shadow's further attack.

"Chie-chan's down! This isn't good!" Teddie was nearly panicking at that. However, the shadow decided to use its second turn to cast White Wall on the Prince, increasing the dizzy shadow's resistance to ice. "Nngh..." Yu had to change his tactics then. "Yosuke, heal Chie using Dia. I'll cast a Red Wall on her," he told the taller boy as he summoned the _Slime_ Persona, doing so.

"Okay, partner." Yosuke did as the silver-haired boy told him to do, healing Chie's wounds. Chie was finally able to get up, up and about after that. "Ow… geez, that hurt!" At least her weakness to fire wouldn't be exploited for some time just like the Charming Prince's weakness to ice.

Much to their luck though, the Charming Prince was able to cast a stronger healing spell, Diarama, that healed the red phoenix quite a lot. "That shadow's got Diarama! You need to take either the Prince or the shadow out quick!" Teddie advised them to do.

"Guys, let's try and attack the Prince as much as we can until I tell you to stop…!" Yu ordered his friends, and they agreed to it. With that, they began to use their arsenal of physical attacks that their Personas can do as those were much stronger than their own attacks and also their elemental attacks. While doing so, Yu and Yosuke would try and heal any of them when their health got low.

Eventually, they managed to take the Prince out.

" ** _My Prince! My dear prince!_** " Yukiko's shadow called out to the Prince, but as the spotlights shone down and the cloud of dust disappeared, there was no one answering to the call. " ** _Why… why won't he come…?_** "

"No one's coming! Now's your chance to attack!" Teddie told the trio, so they took this chance to focus all of their attacks on the red phoenix. As they got the shadow's health down, it began to rage. " ** _What, are you trying to make me mad…? That's not how it's supposed to work… you have to escort me!_** " Promptly after saying that, it lashed out by casting a fire spell that hit everyone.

Luckily Yu had re-casted a fire resistance spell to Chie, so her weakness to fire wasn't in direct fire of the spell, although everyone suffered some damage from it. "It's getting harder… don't let your guard down…!" Yu encouraged the other two, gripping his katana harder.

With some difficulty, they kept their attacks going… until finally, the shadow snapped.

" ** _Hmph, looks like I had the wrong idea… you're no Princes…_ die _, you worthless commoners!_** "

Things just got a lot harder from that point on. Yukiko's shadow would keep casting the huge fire spell frequently and even lash out at one of them with an assault dive. Yet with their drive to save Yukiko, the trio did prevail.

" ** _No…!_** " With a last shriek, the chandelier fell to the floor with a loud crash as clouds of darkness poured out of it, the red phoenix defeated. The form soon blew away into dust, leaving only Yukiko's shadow in its original form.

~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time the battle ended, they found Yukiko slumped against the base of a pillar. "Ngh…"

The group ran over to her despite their injuries in the fight, still concerned for the kimono-clad girl who had been in this place for a few days now. "Yukiko!" Chie called to her worriedly. Yukiko slowly got up, weak and exhausted. The brunette girl just became even more worried. "Yukiko, are you hurt…!?"

Yukiko was about to answer when she glanced to her side, noticing her shadow that has gone silent. "…No… I'm not-"

"We understand. You're not the only one like that, Yukiko-san," Yosuke then told her before she could deny her shadow even more. "Everyone has something they can't show to other people, or don't want to admit to themselves…"

Chie faced her best friend, looking down in shame. "Yukiko… I'm sorry. I was so self-centred that… I never understood what you were going through… I'm your friend, and I still… oh, I'm so sorry…" Her voice began to shake as she sobbed, wiping her eyes of tears.

"Chie…" Yukiko didn’t know what to say.

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't… that jealousy was like a wall, and I was so lonely…! I wanted you to need me… but it was me who needed you. I can't do anything right on my own… I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and the others. If you weren't by my side, I… I wouldn't know what to do…" The brunette girl just kept wiping her face, her tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Chie…" Yukiko bit her lip, and began to confess her own feelings too. "I never saw the real you either… I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." She then slowly walked towards her shadow, finally facing it. "'I want to run away…', 'I want someone to save me…'… you're right, those feelings are part of me, too. I understand now… you're _me_."

Her shadow nodded with a smile, and soon faded to form her Persona. The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest… she has faced her other self and obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona _Konohana Sakuya_. The Persona soon turned into a tarot card before fading back into the depths of Yukiko's heart…

After all that, the kimono-clad girl fell onto her knees as her exhaustion caught up to her.

"Yukiko!" Chie and the others ran over to her again, concerned for her wellbeing. "Are you okay?" Yosuke asked her. Yukiko slowly nodded, tiredness laced in her voice. "Yes, I'm just a little tired…" She lifted her head up to look at Yu, Yosuke and Chie. "You all came to rescue me…?"

"Of course!" Chie would never abandon her friend like this.

"Thank you…"

"Don't even mention it. I'm just so glad you're safe…"

"Hehe… Right on." Yosuke smiled. Yu felt glad too – for once, they were able to save someone and prevent a murder from happening. Teddie decided to ask her then and there despite not being introduced to Yukiko yet. "So, who threw you in here?"

"Teddie…! You can't just… never mind…" Yu was about to whisper at the bear but just gave up on it. Yukiko had already seen him. She just looked at Teddie in confusion. "Huh…? Who are you? Rather… what are you?"

"I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?" Teddie asked her again.

"I don't know… I think… someone called my name… but my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was… I'm sorry, um… Teddie."

"No new clues…"

Yosuke shook his head. "Not necessarily. Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here."

"Hrmm… then it really isn't you guys…"

Yu glanced back at Teddie with an accusing look. "You still suspected us?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The bear tried to deny it. "N-no no no no no! Absolutely not!"

Yosuke was nearly done with Teddie. "You little…! You're one lying sack of honey…"

Chie merely sighed. "Anyways, let's hurry back home, Yukiko looks exhausted… thanks again, Teddie!" she thanked the bear as Yukiko got up before everyone except Teddie began to leave, much to his confusion. "Huh? Wait, you're leaving me here?"

"Leaving you? What're you talking about? You live here," Yosuke told him.

"Well… yeah, but…"

Yukiko slowly limped her way towards the bear, beginning to pet him. "I'm sorry, Teddie. I promise to come again… so be a good boy and wait here until then."

Obviously, Teddie liked the petting. "R-raaaawr!" Then he glanced at the other three teenagers and blushed as he teasingly suggested something. "My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…? C'mon… pretty please?"

"Ugh." Yu quietly facepalmed himself. Yosuke, not so much. "Gah… you're giving me the creeps! That's it, you're stuck here for the rest of your life!"

Everyone else then began to leave the castle with Yukiko, regardless of whether Teddie followed them or not… which the bear did after a moment.

* * *

 

The group went out to the food court so they wouldn't have to be in that fog-filled castle. Chie sat at the table with Yukiko while Yu and Yosuke stood nearby.

"Yukiko…? Are you all right? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" The brunette girl asked, still worried for her best friend's health. Yukiko slowly shook her head. "No… I'm just a little tired…"

Yu didn’t want to press Yukiko for too much information at the moment, but he had to try and confirm some things at least. "Do you remember anything…?"

"I'm sorry, but… I don't remember anything…"

"Well, no worries! You're safe, and that's more than enough." Chie was gladder that Yukiko was safe from harm. Yu and Yosuke nodded in agreement, but something still bothered them.

"But there's no mistake that Yukiko-san was… um… attacked… the same way as the last two victims. And I think the one we saw on the Midnight Channel wasn't the real Yukiko-san, but her Shadow. Maybe the things Yukiko-san was suppressing in this world took form in the TV…?" Yosuke theorised.

"You know, Teddie was saying something like that…"

The brunette boy tried to think over it some more but just couldn't get to a conclusion. "Awww, it's no use. I'm just going round and round in circles. What kinda person could be doing this?"

"Well, I think we should call it a day… Yukiko's in no shape to remain here like this," Yu told him. Chie agreed too. "Yeah, Yukiko really needs to get some rest. I'll take her home."

"Oh, that's right… sorry. Yukiko-san must be exhausted." Yosuke realised that and decided to hold off on thinking about who the culprit could be. "We'll talk about this all some more once she gets her strength back."

They all went their separate ways for the day, deciding to let Yukiko rest first…

* * *

 

Yu returned home in exhaustion, but he was a bit thrilled at the thought of both the hard fight against Yukiko's shadow and the fact that they actually succeeded in saving her. A bit of exhaustion was nothing compared to that.

Plus, Yukiko wasn't the only one who got to come home when she returned.

He was having a warm drink with Nanako while watching television when the sound of the door sliding open echoed through the small house. The little girl got up, a smile appearing on her lips. "He's home!" Her smile slightly fell when she saw that her father wasn't alone, though. "Um… hello…"

…It was Adachi that he brought along. "Hi there."

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. And I thought we might as well swing by," Ryotaro explained. "Nice to meet ya. I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring," Adachi introduced himself to her.

"I can still work you harder, you know."

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha… ha…" The younger detective laughed nervously at that before noticing the silver-haired boy who has been watching the conversation quietly. "Oh, I almost forgot! You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right? They found her safe and sound! Tell all your friends at school!"

Yu decided to play it cool, like usual. "That's a relief."

"Yeah, for us on the force too. But this doesn't mean the case is closed, though. We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing. And we can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really disappeared. It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me… like there's something else going on…"

Then Ryotaro promptly smacked him in the face.

"Ow!"

"Stop blabbering, dumbass!" The older detective scolded him sternly.

"S-Sorry…"

"Ignore him. He's just spouting some wild fantasy."

Yu blinked once and decided to do as his uncle asked. "I'll… forget it, then."

Ryotaro sighed as he scratched his head. "Yeah, don't give it a second thought. Sheesh, he's a real pain sometimes…"

"…I'm hungry." Nanako then spoke up. Her father smiled at her. "Hey, you're right. My stomach's growling too."

Adachi laughed a bit at that. "Hahaha, so you do have a softer side around Nanako-chan, Sir."

"Shut up and siddown… and wash those hands first! Hm, I should do the same…"

…Well, dinner promises to be lively for once. While Yu hoped that Yukiko would be the last victim, he had a gut feeling that this 'killer' wasn't planning on letting things be.

* * *

 

The next day was quiet for once as Yu wasn't in any pressure to do anything since Yukiko was saved from the TV world already, but she was currently resting so there wasn't much he and the others could do. While on the way to school, he overheard something interesting from a pair of students.

"The cultural clubs are accepting new applicants starting today! You're welcome to join, even if you're already in a sports club. Hmm… which cultural club should I join?"

"Huh? You mean you joined a sports club after all that whining? And now you're trying to join a cultural club!? Don't say you're confident just because you wished for luck in your exams!"

"Look, colleges look more at your extracurricular activities than your grades, right? I think I should be joining clubs so I can show that I'm a real team player!"

This time, it's cultural clubs that are accepting…? Yu thought about it for a moment – if what happened when he joined the soccer club culminated in his friendship with Kou and Daisuke, it's possible he may meet someone when joining any available cultural club.

He figured that he'll look into them after school was done.

~*~*~*~*~*~

During physical exercise class, Yu was fairly tired from yesterday's events.

The teacher, Mr. Kondo, just laughed a bit at the sight of the students, including the silver-haired boy. "Good moooorning! Hahaha, I'm seeing lots of drowsy faces out there! Just because it's such nice, warm weather doesn't mean you have time to be drowsy! It's dangerous to fall asleep sometimes, you know that? I mean, you could get mugged, or a thief could sneak into your house!"

Mr. Kondo then glanced at Yu's way. "Hey, Yu! Tell me, what time are thieves most likely to sneak into your house here in Japan?"

Yu perked up when a question was suddenly thrown at him. Thankfully, he read about this little fact back when he was studying about general knowledge. It's about early in the morning when everyone has left for work. "8 a.m., sir."

The teacher nodded, smiling. "Yup, as Yu says, mornings are the most dangerous time! You should be ready to react to anything in the morning! …Hm? You don't care because you're at school by that time?" He was silent for a moment. "Well, alright! Let's shake the sleepies out with a little endurance training! Line up, ladies and gentlemen! Let's take a jog around the school!"

Just a regular old school day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once school was over for the day, Yu had to go to the faculty office to ask about cultural clubs… and he still couldn't believe his luck as he met Mr. Morooka inside _again_. But this time, he was a little luckier as his homeroom teacher didn't end up ranting over ten minutes.

"The cultural clubs? You'd better not be interested in them just so you can meet girls, Mister! …You can join either the drama club or the band. Both clubs meet on the ground floor of the Practice Building. Go find them yourself! Before you go… the culture clubs meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday! So are we done here!? Go home already! Are you staying at school to hang out with a girl later on or something!?"

The silver-haired boy shook his head in response and excused himself quickly. There was no reason for him to remain in that room a moment longer now that he had the information he needed.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

Going over to the Practice Building, Yu thought over his choices again. The drama club or the band… well, acting has been something he's doing his whole life, what with his crossdressing act. But music was also a big part of his life - another thing he liked doing was either listening to music or playing instruments he knew how to play, like the piano at the mansion he hardly lived in or a trumpet back in his elementary days.

"Well, I don't think I'd like to act a moment longer…" he muttered to himself. He was getting sick of having to act as someone he's not, so the band it is. He had to look around the first floor to find where the band usually practiced, but soon found it at the end of the hall.

With his mind made up, he entered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu entered as the club was having a practice session, though it was about to end.

"Oh, and don't forget to stop by the faculty office and pick up the key," One of the students said, to which a small girl with black hair cut in a bowl hairstyle nodded in response. "Okay, no problem!" She was about to leave when she nearly bumped into the silver-haired boy. "Ahh! Oh… sorry about that."

She looked up at him quietly. "…? Umm…"

"I'm here to join the band… this is it, right?" Yu told her, hoping he was correct. The girl nodded, smiling. "Yes, it is… okay, umm, wait right here, please." She turned towards the other end of the room and called out to someone. "Captain! Caaaaptain!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The band captain soon introduced Yu to the other members of the band. "This is Yu Narukami, a second-year. Let's give him a warm welcome, everyone."

Everyone else smiled at the silver-haired boy. "Welcome!"

With greetings done, the band captain glanced at the smaller boy. "So, Yu, have any experience with musical instruments?"

"I play the piano when I can, and I used to play the trumpet. I think I still can do that…" Yu answered with slight hesitance. It did mean that his skills with a trumpet might be rusty, but nothing a little practice can't do.

"Yeah? We don't really have a piano, but can you sight read? We aren't really that good… why don't you stick around and watch for today? We meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. And… hey, Ayane!" The band captain then called at the girl who nearly bumped into Yu.

"Y-yes!?" Ayane straightened up as she looked at the captain.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to Yu?"

"…Umm, er, my name is Ayane Matsunaga. I'm a first-year." The girl blushed as she introduced herself. She's probably not used to doing that. "I-I play the trombone. And, uh…"

The captain looked at Yu. "Alright, she'll get you brought up to speed. If you'll excuse me…" He then focused back on the other members. "Bring it in, guys. Break's over. Let's take it from the top again."

~*~*~*~*~*~

So Yu spent his time watching the symphonic band rehearse. The music wasn't as grand as classical music, but it was good enough. By the time the band members went home, it was only him and Ayane left. He turned to leave when he noticed her.

"Oh, Senpai… you're still here? It's okay, you can go home!" Ayane blushed again when she realised something. "Oh… I'm sorry! I was supposed to give you the details on our club, wasn't I? Umm, we meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays… er, they already told you that, huh."

"More or less…" Yu chuckled. He's been told that three times now.

Ayane continued on nonetheless. "We don't take attendance, so you don't have to come if you don't want to. But practice makes perfect, so… if you keep at it, this is a great way to learn to express yourself! Though… I'm not the best example of that…" She giggled. The silver-haired boy couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm despite her words.

"Do you have any questions, Senpai?" She then asked him. Yu thought about it for a moment. "…Where does the club play, if you don't mind me asking…?"

"Well, sometimes we do performances at hospitals, or for senior homes. We aren't a big enough band to enter any competitions… but people enjoy our performances. We really pour our hearts into the music." Ayane paused for a moment. "Well… I say 'we', but I don't usually play. I take care of all the paperwork around here." She blushed again and smiled. "A-anyway, I have to tidy up. Why don't you go on ahead, Senpai?"

Yu blinked a few times and took a glance at the room. There were so many chairs and sheet music stands – can she even do it alone? Not to mention the instruments that were set down at the back… "How about I help you?" he offered, not wanting her to be so burdened with this task.

"Huh? Uh, ummm…" Ayane seemed taken aback, as if this was the first time anyone had offered to help. Blushing, she shook her head. "N-no, i-it's okay! It's my responsibility! So, um, please, don't go out of your way! Still… it was nice of you to offer." She was smiling cheerfully at him.

In the end, Yu joined the symphonic band and became acquaintances with Ayane. It seemed that she handles even menial tasks with a smile… he could feel a faint bond forming between himself and her. With that, he could hear the voice in his head speaking of the creation of the _Sun Social Link_.

Ayane looked at the window, seeing the sky was already turning dark. "Oh, it's already getting dark. Be careful out there, Senpai," she told him, still smiling. Yu could only nod in response. "You too, Ayane. See you next practice."

He then left the room with a slightly heavy heart, still wishing that she would let him help at least.

* * *

 

Tuesday started cloudy, but Yu had taken another glance at the weather forecast which said that in these next few days, it would start raining heavily and continuously. At least Yukiko was safe, but she was still resting at the moment.

She'll need it to recover her strength after her ordeal in the TV world.

~*~*~*~*~*~

For once, it wasn't Yosuke that was on the receiving end of questions.

Mrs. Nakayama was the one teaching for the current period. "I've heard there's a mysterious animal dwelling in the shopping district area. Supposedly, it knows how to search the change dispenser of the vending machines. How amazing is that? Even animals can learn the value of money… I guess I'll have to keep my wallet more secure from now on."

She then looked at everyone. "Students, at your age you might not understand, but money is very important! You can't do anything without it! And you know, smarts don't guarantee wealth… anyway, I guess I should do what they pay me for and lecture you. Let's see, we left off talking about the properties of whole numbers…"

Looking at her book, she noticed something. "Oh, here's an interesting one. A natural number that's half the sum of its positive divisors is called…? Come on, look at the third page of the handout. What's the answer, class?"

Meanwhile, Chie was panicking slightly. "Huh? I can't find my handout… it's half a sum of its divisors…? I'm totally lost… do you know what the answer is, Yu-kun?" she asked in a whisper, glancing at Yu. The silver-haired boy just smiled, whispering back the answer. "It's a perfect number, Chie."

Chie then answered what he told her, to which Mrs. Nakayama nodded in response. "Right, a perfect number. Satonaka-san, please come pick up an extra handout if you don't have one. Now, about these perfect numbers… the first one is six, then 28… then we jump to 496, and then the next one is 8,128. For your information, no perfect number that is also odd has been found yet. That's why these numbers are so special. Anyway, let's move on. This is the Mersenne Prime. It's really quite…" She kept on talking…

The brunette girl felt sheepish. "Ooops, I guess she saw me… but… thanks, Yu-kun!" She grinned at the boy who sat next to her, who nodded in response with a smile too. Anything to help a friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At lunchtime, Yu was about to go back up to class when Ayane approached him. "Senpai! Don't forget that we have practice today, okay?" she reminded him with a smile. The silver-haired boy smiled back and nodded. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

…Well, he might as well join practice later.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once school was finally finished, Yu went out of his class and was about to go to the Practice Building by himself when he noticed Ayane nearby. He approached her, which alerted her to his presence. "Oh, Senpai! Are you going to practice today?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I am. Why don’t we go together?" The silver-haired boy suggested. The small girl nodded, smiling. "Okay, Senpai!"

The two of them then walked to the Practice Building together…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu had to admit, his skills with the trumpet did get rusty. He tried not to make too many mistakes when playing yet found that he was easily running out of breath as he did. He'll probably have to train himself to do circular breathing again if he wanted to play the trumpet without breaking the tune.

At one point, the captain stopped the playing. "Cut, cut, cut!" He looked at Ayane, who sat next to Yu. "The trombone is flat. Is that you again, Ayane?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Ayane apologized, a bit guilty at having the practice stopped because of her. The captain could only continue the practice, pointing out mistakes when he did notice them. "Alright. Let's see what we can do about the tempo in that second movement…"

They continued practicing until it was over for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After practice, it was only Yu and Ayane left.

"You must be tired, Senpai," The small girl said before smiling. "You have such great tone! I guess you weren't kidding when you said you'd played before." She looked down as she blushed shyly. "Oh, sorry, I know that doesn't mean much coming from someone like me. I was sticking out again today…" Then, she looked up at Yu with a bright smile again. "I wish I had as much talent as you."

"Well, effort is what matters, Ayane. Practice makes perfect – I wasn't good at the trumpet or piano before I even started playing them… but I got better the more I played and learned," Yu advised her. Ayane nodded, understanding what he meant. "Y-you're right! Just because I'm talentless doesn't mean I should give up!" She looked like she's in high spirits.

That look didn't last long as she glanced down at the floor once more. "Oh, but… we have another trombone player here," she told him. "Takeru-senpai. He's really good, so he always gets picked for the performances. That's why I've never gone to one. But it doesn't matter, I can't play in front of an audience anyway."

At those words, Ayane looked away sadly. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't bother you with all this. I better get this place picked up so I can go home."

"Please, Ayane. Let me help you," Yu then spoke to her. He didn't want her to clean this room all by herself – it's too much work for one person. Ayane looked at him, startled that he would offer to help again. "Huh? Uh, ummm… thank you so much… I'm sorry, you really shouldn't have to do this…"

"It's no problem." Yu did notice that she looked apologetic at this. In a way, he could feel her kindness towards him… with it, his relationship with her grew stronger with the _Sun Social Link_.

Ayane looked at the windows again, seeing that the sun was going down. "Oh my, it's already getting dark." Looking back at Yu, she giggled. "Alright, let's do it!"

"Come on, then." The silver-haired boy smiled as he went to start cleaning up the room with her, setting the chairs and sheet music stands where they should be and the instruments in their cases. Once all that was done, he bid goodbye to her and went back home.

* * *

 

By the time Yu got home, it was raining quite heavily. Setting his things back upstairs after greeting Nanako, he went down and checked the fridge.

Inside was some white miso... wait… did this used to be red miso? There was a package of red miso, but it was far past its expiration date. He contemplated something as he stared at it in silence, the sound of the rain pattering against the roof drowning out the droning sound of the humming fridge.

He decided to eat it, because for some reason, he felt like it.

…Yu wondered if he's just idiotically courageous or just plain stupid for doing this.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Yui did manage to finish the suspiciously white miso, everything in her face just burned. While she did feel like she got braver, she felt terrible. Without much reason to not go to sleep at this point, she quickly cleaned up her 'meal' and went up to her room.

Never again is she doing that… ever.

Though, going through life normally without having to go through the foggy TV world felt nice.

If only it could remain that way… but now there's a tinge of fear inside of her. She may regret forming the bonds she had created here despite her own words to not bother making friends for she will leave them in the end.

It felt so nice, yet she wasn't going to keep her hopes up. There were still many months left before her departure from Inaba… she'll have to see how things will go from here.


	9. Averted Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain black-haired girl finally joins the team, and she has some quirks of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Yukiko is finally back from her rest, and life becomes kind of normal for Yui. Oh, but who knows what else can happen? You'll have to see for the next chapter! Anyway, have fun reading!

The rain continued over to the next day like the weather forecast had predicted. At least Yukiko was already safe at this point, so Yu had nothing to worry about… though it was so miserable out that nobody really wanted to do anything.

While on his way out of class after school ended, he noticed the library at the other end of the hall. Well, he hasn't been able to study on his subjects lately… and he did bring another one of the books his grandfather told him to read up on so he could do so while he had free time.

With a shrug to himself, he entered and decided to study for the time being.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu was a little dazzled at the sight of many books on the shelves and racks inside the library. Although Yasogami High School was smaller than the ones in the city, it does have a nice library compared to the libraries there. He went to sit at one of the study tables in the place, setting down his school bag when he did.

There weren't many students inside as most of them had returned home due to the rain. He kind of enjoyed the peace and quiet of the library alongside the peaceful sound of raindrops pattering against the building. Taking out his books, he began to quietly study… and found that he had forgotten some of the lessons he went through and had to relearn them for this study session due to how busy he was.

Such is the life of a high schooler.

* * *

 

The next day was no different in terms of the rainy weather, but Chie did meet up with him while on the way to school.

"Morning!" Chie smiled at him once she caught up to him. Yu smiled back. "Good morning, Chie."

"Hey hey! Yukiko told me that she'll be able to come to school again in two days! Oh man, I'm glad. I'm so happy!"

"That's great. It’s thanks to you, Chie," The silver-haired boy told her. In a way, he and Yosuke wouldn't be able to reach to Yukiko if she weren't there to help them too. Chie shook her head at his words, though. "C'mon, you know it's because all three of us did our best… actually, more like the three of us, and one animal-thingy…?"

"…I guess." Now that Yu thought about it, could Teddie even count as an animal? Or is he actually a shadow since he lived in that world…? "Who knows what he really is…" he muttered, shrugging. All that mattered was that the bear was helping them, at least. "Mm, that bear's pretty weird…" Chie thought about it too.

They continued to talk on their way there…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That rainy afternoon, Yu decided to join band practice again as there was no sports practice and Yosuke had already gone back early due to the rain. When he did attend it, he noticed that Ayane wasn't playing today.

When Yu finished practicing, Ayane had just arrived from somewhere. He watched her as she met up with the band captain, smiling. "I'm back! Guess what? We've got our next venue lined up."

"Ooh, where?" The captain asked.

"Two places – Yuryoku-en and Shiozawa Hospital. They want us to come play for them. Um, they said they'll give us an exact date as soon as they can."

"Did they request any specific songs?"

Ayane then realised her mistake. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't ask…"

"You didn't? Well, make sure you ask next time you talk to them. We kinda need to know."

The small girl blushed shyly before nodding. "O-okay. I'm sorry… er, I'll go right now!"

However, the captain stopped her from doing so. "No no, just remember next time. And don't forget to tell the activities advisor."

"A-all right." Ayane glanced down at the floor quietly. The captain soon noticed Yu standing nearby. "Oh, sorry Yu, but we decided who was gonna go to the next performance before you joined. You can play with us next time."

"Okay then, no problem." Yu nodded, understanding what the captain told him. Then the band captain looked at the other members of the band. "Alright, that's it for today. You guys can take off."

~*~*~*~*~*~

So everyone else left, except Yu and Ayane.

The small girl looked around, a troubled expression on her face as she then faced Yu. "Oh… I haven't cleaned up yet. I think I'll stick around and practice. I was out so long, I didn't even touch my trombone…" she murmured.

Yu just shook his head, slightly smiling. "Hey, just forget about it today. You need some rest."

Ayane giggled in response. "I can't. I'm so bad, I need twice as much practice as everyone else!" She looked like she was enjoying herself… her smiling face soon turned into a determined one. "Now that we've got a performance, I need to be tip-top."

It quickly fell. "…Not that I'll be in it, but still…"

"…You don't want to go?" The silver-haired boy asked her softly. Ayane was surprised at the question, stammering as she tried to answer. "Uh, ummmm…" She just looked down at the floor, her expression now gloomy. "W-well, I'm not very good, so it's really no surprise I never get picked. But, I think I make myself useful. If I played along for a performance, I'd only give us a bad reputation…"

Yu frowned slightly. That's no way to think of herself…

Ayane continued on, not seeing the look on the boy's face. "But there are lots of other things I can do for the club. Scheduling, accounting, cleaning up…"

…That's a little better, at least. "That's a great attitude, Ayane." Yu was amazed at how strong she was despite her shortcomings. The small girl smiled brightly at his compliment. "Thanks! A-anyway, I better start practicing! Be careful on your way home, Senpai!"

The fact that Ayane still concerned herself for Yu made their bond grow slightly stronger with the _Sun Social Link_. Soon, he parted with her and went home.

Two more days before Yukiko would return to school… well, he still had time to kill then.

* * *

 

Yu spent Friday the same way he did for Wednesday by studying in the afternoon and going back home when school was about to close up. The rain was letting up by the time he settled down for a hot drink that night, watching the weather forecast with Nanako and Ryotaro after changing into his casual clothes.

The forecast predicted that a thick fog was expected to set in that night and remain until tomorrow morning, with the heaviest concentration being in Inaba.

"More fog, huh…? There's been a lot of that lately. Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble…" Ryotaro murmured as he watched the news. Nanako, who had glanced at the remote on the table, then pressed a button to change the channel.

"Ah-ah-ah. What did I say about changing the channel without asking?" The man then said to his daughter, who lowered her head. Just then, a Junes commercial played at that moment and spoke about Golden Week, before playing the same tune Nanako liked to sing.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang along happily. Then she looked at her father. "Dad! They're going to be open during Golden Week!"

Ryotaro slightly laughed. "Haha, I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?"

"We can go somewhere!?" Nanako stood up at that suggestion.

The man looked at his nephew. "How about it? Got any plans yet?"

…A vacation away from this town doesn't sound too bad, especially after learning that the fog in this town pretty much brings murder with it. "Nope, no plans," Yu answered, shaking his head. Nanako's smile grew bigger as she became excited. "Then let's all go somewhere together! Junes! Junes Junes Junes!"

Her father was a little uneasy at that. "You're sure you want to go to Junes? We can go there anytime…" He took a quick glance at the clock. "Come on, girl, time for bed. It's late."

"Alright…" Nanako looked sad for a moment, before singing the same Junes tune again. "Every day's great at your Junes!" She seemed like she was very excited about the family outing… Yu had to admit, he was looking forward to it too.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui soon went up to her room after finishing her drink, having to check the Midnight Channel just in case something went wrong, which she hoped did not. Going over to the windows, she parted the curtains slightly to see that the fog has already set in.

"Hm…" Taking a look at the clock, she saw that it was about to strike midnight.

The silver-haired girl then stood in front of the TV in her room, waiting. Eventually, the TV came to life as the Midnight Channel began to play with a dull static sound. To her relief, there was no one on it. Since Yukiko has already been rescued, the killer - whoever they are, was thwarted this time.

Smiling, she went to her futon to go to sleep as her worries have been quelled. Remembering that Yukiko will be back tomorrow, she wondered if the black-haired girl would have recalled something new from the events that happened to her…

* * *

 

Saturday morning was a clear day, unlike the dark clouds of rain in the last few ones.

Yu was on his way to school when he noticed someone standing by the school gates, who he recognized as Yukiko. Approaching her, the black-haired girl quietly greeted him. "O-oh… good morning."

"Mornin'. Feeling any better?" Yu asked her, just to make sure she was okay. Yukiko nodded in response. "Y-Yeah… I'll be coming to school again, so… that'll be nice. I caused everyone some real trouble. I'm sorry…" She paused for a moment. "No, 'sorry' isn't quite right… what I mean to say is, thank you."

For once, she actually looked more cheerful than she did before she got thrown into the TV world.

"My mother's back to work already. The maids are being really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if I was trying too hard… I may have been too caught up in the idea that I had to do everything by myself. Ever since the incident… I feel like I can think about these things more calmly. B-But… it's still kind of embarrassing…" Yukiko blushed as she shyly smiled. "You guys saw everything… even the things I didn't want to admit…"

Yu chuckled at that. "That's only one part of you."

"I'd like to believe that…"

A voice then called out to the black-haired girl from nearby, which belonged to Chie. "Yukiko!"

Yukiko looked over to her best friend and smiled. "Oh, it's Chie." She smiled at the silver-haired boy. "Well, I'll talk to you later." She then left, going over to Chie… she has come back as energetic as ever. It was definitely a great thing that they were able to save her before she succumbed to her possible fate inside that foggy world…

Things were looking up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After school ended, they all got together on the roof. Chie and Yukiko had some instant noodles while they were at it – maybe they'd missed lunch. Yu stood around while Yosuke sat near Chie.

Yukiko arrived with two bowls of instant noodles, one for herself and the other for Chie. "Sorry to keep you waiting. The soba is yours, right Chie?" She gave Chie's bowl to her friend before sitting down with her own.

Chie smiled. "Thanks! Oooh, that smells gooood… these instant noodles are just the thing to help me through club… how much longer do I have to wait on this?"

"It still needs a few minutes."

The brunette girl glanced at the two boys. "So, why're we here…? Oh yeah, we were going to ask Yukiko what happened."

Yosuke started it off. "Yukiko-san, I hate to bring up stuff you'd rather not think about… but I need to ask you again. Do you recall anything about when you got kidnapped?"

Yukiko slowly shook her head. "No… I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passes it only gets hazier… I think… the doorbell rang at the entrance… and someone called for me… but when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle… I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," Chie told her friend. However, it did mean one thing… "But does this mean her visitor is the culprit?!"

Yosuke sighed. "I don't know… If it's true, then that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell? The police are probably looking for witnesses… but I don't think we can expect much from them. Heh, as if the culprit wore bright yellow clothes at the scene of the crime."

"I wonder why whoever it is would do stuff like this."

"We won't know until we confront 'em ourselves… but we can be sure of one thing. It's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place. Someone on our side is definitely kidnapping them and throwing them into the TV. It's murder, all right…" Yosuke then remembered something. "Oh yeah, we never told you. This guy and me are gonna catch the culprit ourselves!" He referred to himself and Yu, grinning. "The police are out of their league on this case, but we got Personas."

Yu glanced at Yukiko. If they wanted to catch the culprit, they needed all the help they can get… "If you don't mind, could you lend us a hand?"

"Huh? Um…" Yukiko was surprised at that. Chie didn't hesitate a moment to answer for herself. "I'm helping out too! I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!"

"Chie…" The black-haired girl looked at her best friend for a moment before focusing on Yu. "…Let me help too. I want to know why this is happening… especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore."

Yosuke grinned. So their little team just gained itself another member. "Alright! Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!"

"Agreed." Yukiko nodded. With her on board, it felt like they were now another step closer to solving this mystery despite the lack of a new lead. Yu could hear the whispers in his head as the _Fool Social Link_ grew stronger. By now, he was certain that this _Fool Arcana_ revolved around the Investigation Team's growth.

Once the whispers faded out, he was finally able to focus back on the others.

"Oh, but how're we going to find them? We don't have a single lead yet…" Chie asked. Yukiko looked at her. "I'm the third one to be targeted so far… but I have a feeling this isn't the end of it. If we had an idea who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

Yosuke thought about it and smiled. That wasn't a bad idea, actually. "So we'll outsmart them, huh…? Yeah, that might work. Okay, so let's see if we can figure out what ties the victims together. First, there was that announcer, Mayumi Yamano. Second was Saki Konishi… Senpai. Third was Yukiko Amagi. What do they all have in common…?"

"They're all female." Yu stated the common thing among all three. Yosuke nodded, having reached the same conclusion. "Bingo."

Chie got angry when they reached to that conclusion. "How dare he target females! Now that is unforgivable! This culprit's gotta be some kinda pervert…"

"Also, what about this? The second and third victims had some sort of connection to the first one."

"Hey, that's right. Yukiko and Saki-senpai both had connections to that announcer…"

Yukiko began to make sense of it too, looking surprised. "That's true. Then… does that mean females connected in some way to Ms. Yamano's case are being targeted…?"

Yosuke nodded in response to the black-haired girl's guess. "I think that's a safe assumption for now. There's another angle we can take, too. If another person disappears…"

Chie glanced at the brunette boy. "You think they'd be on that Midnight Channel? That happened right before Yukiko was kidnapped, too."

"Yeah, it's hard to tell who at first, but what's important is, it's happened before the victims disappeared. Kinda like a ransom note. We still don't know why that happens, but we'll have to rely on it for now."

"The next time it rains…" Yukiko looked up at the sky quietly. In the silence that followed, Yosuke broke it to ask about the noodles. He just lost concentration at that point. "By the way, aren't those done by now?"

Chie then remembered about her instant noodles. "Whoa, that's right! Chow time!"

"Hey, could I try just a little bit of that!? Just one tiny bite!"

"Hey! Hands off the soba, pal! Go get your own if you want some." But Chie saw the look on Yosuke's face and hesitated. "Rrrngh… okay, but just one bite, got it?" She gave it to Yosuke. Yu looked at him with much of an amused look.

Yukiko got his attention when she asked him, "Do you want to try some?"

The silver-haired boy scratched his head. "…Just a bite, I guess."

Yukiko then gave Yu her bowl of instant noodles. Yosuke was fawning over Chie's bowl of instant noodles like he hasn't eaten in forever as he took some bites. "It's soooo gooood… the aroma, the flavor, and the texture all combined… this is perfect!"

Yu then decided to take a bite, eyebrows rising at the taste. It _is_ surprisingly good… but before he ended up eating more, he turned his head away from the bowl and quickly gave it back to Yukiko. Thank goodness for his training, even if he hated it sometimes. "H-here, thanks."

Yosuke ended up chowing down Chie's instant noodles, though.

"Aaaack! What the hell are you doing!?" Chie yelled at him, which made the brunette boy stop when he came to his senses and gave it back to her. Then she realised that the bowl was totally empty, and that made her get up angrily. "You ate everything…" She glared at Yosuke. "I hope you understand what this means."

Now Yosuke panicked at that. "W-Wait wait wait! Stop! I'm sorry! I-I'll buy you steak! It'll be on me! Y-You hear me? The very best!"

"Steak…!?" Now Chie sounded interested. Yukiko couldn't help but giggle – at least Yu had the gentlemanly tact to not end up eating all of her instant noodles, unlike a certain brunette boy. "Are you going to take up on that, Chie?"

"Of course I am! Now what would be nice… fillet? Ooh, fillet sounds nice and expensive! Filet, filet, filet mignon!"

"Man…" Yosuke sighed quietly. He glanced at Yu who looked like he was trying – and probably failing – at keeping his laughter in. "Hey, how come you got to hold yourself back?!"

"Because while those noodles _were_ delicious, I was able to hold myself back anyway," Yu answered frankly with a shrug and a teasing smile. "Come on, you got a steak obsessed girl to feed," he said quietly, elbowing the brunette boy's side gently while laughing.

"Agh, come on partner…! Don't leave me deal with this alone!"

"Alright, alright…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luckily for Yosuke, the food court at Junes had started serving grilled steak that very day.

"Man, talk about great timing. We just started serving grilled steak today. We're doing our part to spread this town's specialty dish. Plus, we've already got an excellent grill," Yosuke commented, grinning. Chie wasn't exactly as excited. "That's just a yakisoba griddle… oh well, steak is steak. It's far from a fillet steak, though…" She shrugged. "So, back on topic. I wonder what kind of person the culprit is."

"If you focus just on the announcer's case, it seems like a revenge thing. Maybe it was her lover's wife."

"But Misuzu Hiiragi had a solid alibi, didn't she? And it seemed like she was already separated from her husband."

"Really? You know an awful lot about this… okay, what about the second case? Saki-senpai… she found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, then why target Senpai…?"

"It's possible that they wanted to shut her up," Yu suggested. It was an obvious one, but a possible one nonetheless. The brunette boy nodded at that. "Yeah, I think so too. Maybe she found a clue or something about the culprit."

"But the killer just threw the announcer into a TV, right? I don't think he would've left evidence the police - much less a high school student - would catch…" Yukiko thought about it too.

"Yeah, exactly…"

To prove their point, someone familiar from the police force had just came to the food court. It was Adachi, the young detective from days earlier. "Man, I thought the countryside would be a snooze, but it's proving to be a lot more exciting that I thought… ooh, they updated the menu!"

Everyone in the group looked at him. "Huh? Isn't he that detective?" Chie realised who the man was.

Adachi turned his head to look at them and recognized Yu. "Hey, you were at Dojima-san's… ahaha… I-I'm not… oh, wait! Hey, this is great timing after all." He approached the group, smiling. "Dojima-san said that he'll be leaving work on schedule tonight. Could you pass that on to Nanako-chan?" he asked the silver-haired boy, who nodded in response. "I will."

"Thanks. Yo! I'm Adachi, Dojima-san's gofer… err, I mean, his partner," Adachi said, introducing himself to the others. "Are you this busy every day?" Yosuke then asked him.

"Huh? Oh, well, the public seems to be getting a charge out of these cases, but we can't leave it at that."

"Sorry to butt in, but could it be that the killer targeted Saki-senpai in order to silence her?" Chie also asked.

"U-Ummm, you sure get to the heart of the matter. Yikes… haha. Of course, we're also thinking along those lines. She was killed right after the announcer's body was found. If the killer was trying to silence her, there might've been something at the scene only she would have understood. Which would mean that the culprit may be someone close to Ms. Konishi. Nothing like that points to Misuzu Hiiragi, so… ooh, I might have stumbled across something here…"

…The Inaba police department is hopeless at solving this case.

Adachi soon realised that he was rambling. "W-Wait, were you listening to that!? Crap! Me and my big mouth… d-don't tell anyone I said any of that, or Dojima-san will flay me alive… relax, kids, the police are on the job. See you!" He quickly left after that.

Chie just sighed. "You were right, Yosuke. The police are totally useless…" She glanced at her food and also realised that she had left her food on the table for a bit too long. "Augh! My steak's getting cold!"

Yosuke groaned. "Could you shut up about the steak for five seconds…?"

They all let the brunette girl eat her steak first before going to the electronics department to go and talk to Teddie.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yukiko looked around in surprise when they were finally at the 'studio' inside the TV world. "Wow… this really is inside the TV…" Her eyes soon fell on a familiar red and blue bear. "It's Teddie… then it wasn't a dream."

Teddie approached the group and smiled. "Are you feeling better, Yuki-chan? I did what you said! I've been a good bear!"

"Oh, I see. Good boy!"

Yosuke stared at the bear with slight detest. Teddie could be annoying when he can… "W-Well, this bear's part of the reason we want to find the culprit."

"I'm one of the group now too. Let's work together, okay?" Yukiko told the bear. Teddie looked pretty happy for the part. "Yep! I was thinking the same thing! That's why I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!" He took out a pair of glasses which had red coloured frames and gave it to her.

"Oh, so these are what everyone's wearing. Thank you, Teddie." Yukiko put them on, and what she saw in her surroundings astonished her. "You're right… it's just as if the fog doesn't exist…"

Chie was a little curious about something after that. "Hey, tell me something. How come you have so many pairs of glasses?" she asked the bear. Teddie grinned. "Excellent question! Guess what? I'm the one who makes them. I've lived here for a long time. So I came up with some ways to be comfortable here."

"I see… but don't you need a pair?" Yukiko wondered about that. If they all wore glasses, why didn't Teddie?

"Oooh, good point. Another great question! Listen to this! My eyes themselves are lenses! You didn't know?"

Yosuke sighed. "Of course not…"

"…Wh-Why are you being so mean? You act like you're not interested! I'm a really dexterous bear! See how smoothly my fingers move!" Teddie approached the brunette boy and… did… something with his fingers. He was merely moving them delicately, but it had a strange air to them.

"What am I even looking at!?" Yosuke yelled at him before pushing him away, causing the bear to drop something as he did. The recoil was able to let Teddie remain upright after falling down. "Ow!"

Yukiko saw what the bear dropped. "Hm? You dropped something…"

Teddie looked over at what the black-haired girl saw. "Oh, that's a pair I kinda screwed up on."

"Oooh…" Yukiko smiled cheekily and picked up the glasses on the floor, taking off the ones on her face and putting on that one. Then she turned to face the others. "Oh… umm… Y-Yukiko?" Chie blinked a few times at the sight.

"Ahaha, how do I look?" On Yukiko's face were glasses that had translucent lenses with circles on it, a big nose attached to the frame and a curved moustache attached under the nose. It made her look really ridiculous, and Yu found that he had to cover his mouth to stop himself from cracking up at the sight. "I-it looks natural on you, Yukiko…" He was really trying not to laugh, holding in the urge as hard as he could.

He didn't even know that this was his kind of humour. When was the last time he wanted to laugh like this, or even did laugh as such?

Yukiko just laughed, enjoying herself. "Ahahaha! Awesome!"

"Do you like that one, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked her.

"I want to wear this one. It's even got a nose guard!"

Chie quickly shook her head. No way is her friend wearing that throughout their whole investigation! "Ohhh no you don't!"

"How bear-y unfortunate… that pair doesn't have the right lenses in. Guess I should've made an actual pair," Teddie informed the black-haired girl. "Aww, too bad." Yukiko took off the glasses and put on the ones the bear gave her earlier. She looked at Chie and smiled cheekily. "Here, Chie. Your turn!"

Chie just sighed. "Man… all right, fine…" So her best friend gave her the weird glasses, taking off the ones she was currently wearing and putting the odd pair on instead. Yukiko began to laugh even harder at the sight. "Snrk… heehee…! Ahaha, ahahahahahaha!"

Another sigh came from the brunette girl. "…How'd it come to this…?"

Yu nearly lost it when he got a clear view of Chie's face. It looked more ridiculous on her… and he was still desperately trying not to laugh when he was already making a few sounds with his hand covering his mouth. "Pfft… hhhft…!" He's literally no different to Yukiko right now… but at least he wasn't lost in a laughing fit.

"Y-Yukiko-san? Hellooo…?" Yosuke tried to get the black-haired girl out of it but she just kept on laughing and laughing like there was no tomorrow. "There goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits… I never thought she'd do it when someone besides me was around. These stupid glasses are useless for investigating! I mean, what the hell's this nose for, anyway!?" Chie complained to the bear.

Teddie shrugged. "Nice work, huh? That's what happens when you guys leave me here alone and I get bored!"

Yosuke scratched his head. Better a laughing Yukiko than a sad one. "W-Well, I'm glad that she's in high spirits again… I guess…"

"Oh Chie, the look on your face… snrk… hahaha, it was so funny! I-I can't stop… laugh- heehee! Ohhh, my stomach, ahaha…" Yukiko continued to laugh for a while until she was finally tired of it, then they all headed home to the real world.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Evening time was the same calm as yesterday's, with Yu's uncle home since Yukiko has returned safe and sound.

Ryotaro was on the sofa, checking the newspaper. "The fourth and the fifth… I think I might be able to get the fourth and the fifth off," he told them. Nanako looked at her father with wide eyes, hopeful at the thought of having a family outing with him. "Really!?"

When she got no response, she hesitated. "…Really?"

"What, you don't believe me?" Ryotaro lowered the newspaper to look at his daughter. Nanako lowered her head. "…It's always cancelled."

"N-Not every year! I know you wanted to go to Junes, but… I wouldn't mind going a little further out of the neighbourhood."

This got Nanako to stand up, now really hopeful. "Really? Can we go on a trip?"

"Uhh… well, it might be okay to go on a trip once in a while. I'm sure it'll be crowded everywhere, though…"

"Yaaay! We're going on a trip!"

"Hm… all right, all right. Then we need to think of someplace to go…" Ryotaro glanced at his nephew. "How about you…? Wanna come along with us?"

"…It wouldn't hurt to. I'll come along, uncle," Yu answered with a nod. Nanako nodded too, liking the thought of her cousin coming along. "Yeah! Let's all go together!"

Ryotaro chuckled at that. "Looks like Nanako wants us all to go."

"Let's bring boxed lunches!" Nanako suggested to her dad.

"Hm? Yeah, good idea. We're always eating side dishes for dinner. But I can't cook… and Nanako's not good enough yet to make them by herself… hmm…" Ryotaro thought about something before he got up, setting down the newspaper on the sofa and going over to Yu. "Well, it'll work out. That's what we've got this guy for, huh Nanako?" he told her, patting the silver-haired boy's shoulder.

Nanako cheered happily. "Yaaay, boxed lunches!"

Yu blinked a few times before somewhat smiling despite being quite surprised at being picked to pack the Dojima family's boxed lunches. "I'll do my best…" He only knew how to cook because he had to teach himself from the maids in the mansion his own family would live in if his parents' work revolved in Tokyo or near that city.

He's not the best, but he can damn make a good one… granted that he has the ingredients. But one thing he hoped was that the family trip would go on as planned, if Nanako's worry was anything to notice from it.


	10. Strong Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days continue on normally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're still a little into the normal life, but now we see the birth of two new social links... you'll have to read to find out!

Yui was getting ready to go out when she got a call from someone. Taking out her phone, she answered it. "Hello?"

_"Hello. This is Chie. Do you have time to go inside the TV today? Now that Yukiko's with us, I think it might be good for her to get some experience being in that place. Just give us a call if you want to go. See ya!"_

The call ended quick before Yui could even say a word.

Hm… going inside the TV, huh? Maybe tomorrow – she had already decided that she'll have a proper break for today. Putting her phone back into her pocket, she got dressed fully and went out of her room and the house, heading towards the flood plains.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Samegawa flood plains always had a calm air to them unlike any other place despite the fact that Inaba was a quiet town of its own already. Sitting by the riverside, Yu watched the slow flow of the river while thinking of other things.

He hasn't heard from his parents since his first day here… but his time spent with his new friends here were making the pain all better. The TV world also gave some thrill to his life, although it was now bringing up an addiction he had fought to keep down so hard. The thrill of the fights, the adrenaline in his blood… he can't ever forget that, now that he was fighting for the right reasons.

One thing he hoped was that he wouldn't lose himself in that addiction. He's only fighting again to save people who were thrown into the TV… that's the purpose of the Investigation Team. To find the killer, and to rescue victims who would be facing their imminent death in that place if they stayed there too long.

Yet the feeling of his katana in his hands were bringing up some painful memories in his dreams. Ones he didn't want to think about at the moment, so he quickly shook his head to dispel them and sighed. Glancing over to his side, he noticed an old man there.

The old man just stood there with a wistful expression for a moment while staring out at the river before noticing that a teenage boy was looking at him. "…Oh, hello there. Y'know, the Samegawa actually has a whole buncha different fish livin' in it."

"…Is that so?" Yu slowly got up and went over to the old man.

"Yep. When I was younger, I used to spend more time haulin' fish in than I did sittin' with my hook in the water, but now…" The old man paused for a moment. "…You interested in fishin', boy?"

"Huh?" The silver-haired boy was surprised at that for a moment. He hasn't really ever _tried_ fishing, but… it could be something better to do with his time one day. Plus, who knows if he needed to fish for something? So he agreed. "…Yes, I am, sir."

The old man's worn face turned joyful, as if happy that a young man such as the boy in front of him was interested in something like fishing. "Ho ho! I'll lend you some of my fishin' gear, then. Let me tell you, fishin' is hard work. What you need is diligence. You can still fish without diligence, o'course, but you'll get pretty darn tired of it quick." The old man then gave him a bag that had the things Yu needed to fish here. "Oh, well. Here's a fishing set. I'll give you ten of these here baits, too. Fishin' in the day is fun, but night fishin'… that's just stylish. Do you want to hear some of my advice about fishin'? Hm?"

"…I suppose. Yes, please." Yu nodded. Better to go in with some knowledge than being a fool without any.

"First, you toss in the float. If there's a fish around, he'll take a poke at it. If you rush it and pull your line up too fast, the fish'll get away. Well, you'll still have bait, so try again. Listen, you want to start pulling right after the float sinks. When it bites, reel it in by pulling continuously! If you don't keep pulling, it'll get away, and you'll lose your bait. Suck it up and pull as hard as you can! If you lack diligence, you'll probably want to go home after just one try. A tough guy like me can fish five times! Oh, and your chances of landin' a real whopper are better on rainy days! Do whatever you want with the fish you catch. If you don't particularly want 'em, I'll trade good stuff for 'em. Good luck, boy."

"Thank you, sir." Yu bowed in respect. He won't be fishing today, but he'll think about it when he has free time with nothing to do. Thinking about free time… he probably has too much of it. Remembering back to something he heard about part-time jobs, he decided that he could probably take one or two up now.

With that, Yu left the flood plains and headed to the central shopping district.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"There's not much…" Yu checked the notice board for available part-time jobs. There was one for folding origami cranes for charity, another as a caretaker and one as an envelope constructor.

Considering that getting new armour and weapons for them all tomorrow might be pricey, he picked the job as an envelope constructor for some extra cash. Seems tedious for someone like him, but better he get some experience in doing dull things anyway… especially when running his grandfather's company becomes his life in the future.

After phoning the person in charge of that job that he was accepting it, he went to have his lunch at the Aiya Diner. There was a steak bowl special for the day, so he ordered that.

The day went on quietly.

* * *

 

Monday started off with a rainy morning, so Yu had to go out to school early before the rain got any heavier. As he arrived at the school gates, he was greeted by Yukiko who had a red umbrella like her outfit. "Good morning."

The silver-haired boy nodded in response. "Good morning to you too, Yukiko."

"It's raining… it's not going to last past nightfall, though. Every time it rained while I was 'over there', you must have been…" The girl's expression darkened. "Yukiko…?" Yu got a bit worried at that.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be gloomy. Um, Golden Week starts tomorrow, right? Do you have any plans?"

"I'll have a family outing with my uncle and cousin…"

"I-I see. That must be tough. But, at least it looks like we're going to have clear skies all week. It'd be nice if it could stay peaceful like this, but the mystery hasn't been solved yet. Perhaps we should visit 'over there' once in a while so we can become stronger."

"True. I'm planning for a trip there today – can you tell Yosuke and Chie that?"

"Oh, really? Alright, I will."

"Thanks… let's go in before class starts."

Yukiko nodded, and so they both walked into the school.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu was not really surprised that Mr. Morooka was going off with his ranting about Golden Week when his time period came up.

"I'm hearing a lot of chatter about Golden Week, but don't forget that first and foremost, you're students! Your duty is to study! You don't have time to fool around, alright!? Especially the girls! Those skirts are too damn short! Are you that desperate for attention, or what? You girls are giving the school a bad reputation! Try being modest for a change!"

The silver-haired boy would've rolled his eyes for that. Blame the school dress code, not the girls… then again, the girls could've always worn the long version for their skirts.

"And for the guys, remember, the 'greatest virtue' is attainable by those who suppress their worthless desires! I don't think Descartes was entirely right, but I'm sure the idea of 'virtue' is completely lost on you dumbasses!"

Damn, this man is despicable.

"Next order of business! Midterms are coming up next week! The results will be posted to humiliate the low-scoring losers! If you don't want to be shamed, study hard! It's that simple! If you do well, who knows!? You may become a more popular cretin! And you know, popularity leads to intimacy! On top of that, my reputation goes up. It's a win-win situation, people! Like I said, study hard!"

Yu blinked at that. Midterms, next week… well, he better study for that. But what Mr. Morooka said about being a 'more popular cretin' when doing great in exams got him a bit interested – that might help in his relationship with his friends.

He's got a lot on his plate right now – he'll start off by getting that trip to the TV world done this afternoon.

…Maybe he'll even ask some students and people around if they needed some help.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Teddie, we're here," Yu announced to the bear as he entered the studio in the TV world with Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko. They all wore their respective glasses to help them see better through the fog while also avoiding themselves from being affected by the oppressive atmosphere in the place.

"Sensei! Everyone! You're here!" Teddie was overjoyed to see them again. He thought for a moment before remembering something he was supposed to tell the silver-haired boy. "…I forgot to tell you! For some reason, I feel a powerful Shadow in the castle. Maybe this world is getting unstable from people going in and out… I don't think this Shadow is related to the culprit, but I don't like it being here. I'd be happy if you could defeat it for me."

"A powerful Shadow in the castle?" Yu looked at the others. "Think we can beat it today?"

"We've dealt with worse." Yosuke shrugged. What's a stronger shadow to a person's shadow? "We can definitely do it, partner."

"…If you say so. Can you bring us there, Teddie?"

"Oh, uh, sorry Sensei… I kinda forgot where the castle is already… ooh, but the others probably know where it is!"

Yu held in his sigh. "Okay, Teddie." He went over to Yosuke. "Hey, do you remember where the shopping district is? The one where we…?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You sure…?" The brunette boy was uncertain about going back to that place – it held a number of painful memories, such as Saki Konishi's true thoughts and Yosuke's shadow going berserk there.

"I'm sure."

"…Okay, partner."

~*~*~*~*~*~

They all arrived in front of the shopping district which still had an ominous air to it. Chie and Yukiko didn't say much other than the fact that the place was quite creepy with how run-down the whole place looked. Yu decided to enter alone since he knew the place was just a small room.

Everything was still the same as how it did when he and Yosuke first entered.

Looking around, he went over to the table with the numerous photos on it. "…Oh?" A certain object on the table caught his eye. Taking a closer look, he realised that it was a bottle of Mori Ranmaru. "That guy at the flood plains wanted this…" He recalled that a man in a suit had asked if he could find that very kind of alcohol, so he decided to take up his request.

Taking it, he continued to look around, especially at the sake barrels in a corner. There were tons of it stacked on top of one another and Yu nearly missed seeing that something was stuck in between the barrels. Setting the bottle of alcohol down at a safe spot first, he approached that object and began to pull with all of his might.

Soon, he managed to pull it out with a huff. "It's… wrenches?" The object was actually a pair of wrenches, but the workmanship on it was surprisingly well-made. He had a feeling it would be way stronger than the weapons Yosuke was using now. With a smile, he went back to the bottle of alcohol to pick it up before leaving the place.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon returning to the studio again, Yu had given Yosuke the pair of wrenches he just got as a new weapon. Although it was strange to be using a pair of blunt unorthodox weapons compared to the usual pair of dual kunai, the only way to find out how well it worked was through battle. A shadow from the first floor of the castle should do pretty well in finding that out.

He then approached Chie, asking if she knew where the castle was.

"Well, yes, but do we have to go there…?" she asked, a concerned look on her face. There were bitter memories there too. Yu sighed. "I understand why you would hesitate on going there… but we've got no other place to train. Plus, there's a shadow residing there now – we gotta get rid of it for Teddie."

"…Alright then."

~*~*~*~*~*~

As everyone entered the familiar halls of the castle, Teddie spoke up about the shadow. "I sense the presence of a strong Shadow in the room Yuki-chan was in." The bear looked at Yu with a determined look. "Sensei, you should defeat it!"

The silver-haired boy nodded. "We'll do just that."

Thus, the tedious journey up the many floors of the castle began.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Everyone ready?" Yu looked at the three teenagers who had been following his lead throughout their journey up the floors. They managed their strength quite well up to this point, possibly enough to fight against whatever lay behind the giant grand doors that stood in front of them.

Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko all gave their confirmation, and so they entered.

When the doors opened, what stood in the middle of the throne room was a Positive King, except triple times the size of one and way stronger than one too. "Yikes, watch out Sensei!" Teddie quickly scattered off to the sidelines as the shadow, a Contrarian King, began its attack on the group.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu gripped his weapon tightly, which was a sword this time since it was stronger than the katana he had used before. It felt odd, no longer feeling that slim hilt of a katana in his small hands. "Keep your guard up…!" he ordered as the shadow started the battle by casting Red Wall.

Could it be weak to fire? Yu looked at Yukiko who glanced back at him, then nodding at her.

"Persona!" So Yukiko summoned her Persona, Konohana Sakuya, to cast Agi on the shadow. Much to their shock though, the shadow merely drained the attack and used it to heal itself. "The shadow not weak to fire at all! It's using the Red Wall as a trick!" Teddie alerted them.

Yu quickly thought of a strategy – considering that the shadow looked like a Positive King, it was probably strong towards physical attacks so they should avoid that. Agi is useless, so Yukiko will have to do support. First things first, buff and debuff spells for the first round.

After the team casted the spells, the shadow then decided to attack Yukiko using a skill that made it inflict damage twice on her. "Aaahh!" She suffered a lot of damage but was still up… Yu looked at her in worry. "Yukiko, cast Media. Yosuke, keep trying to cast Sukukaja on everyone. Chie, attack it with Bufu." He started his first row of orders which everyone then did as ordered.

"Come, _Jack Frost_!" With an increased attack power for himself and a reduced chance to hit alongside a reduced defence for the shadow, he summoned Jack Frost - a new Persona he had fused a while ago, to cast Bufula on the Contrarian King. While ice wasn't the shadow's weakness, the number of debuff spells on it dealt heavy damage on it since Bufula was also a stronger version of Bufu.

Then came the shadow's own trick – it cast Rampage.

Quickly the whole room became covered with clouds of dust as the shadow hit everyone with heavy damage, but by pure luck and also because of a debuff that caused its chance to inflict more hits to become reduced, everyone was spared from a final hit to their life.

Yukiko then quickly cast Media to heal everyone of their injuries, but they were still at risk of being taken out by the Contrarian King's attacks. The only thing they could do now is hope that the shadow doesn't get more chances to attack and continue dealing damage while they're at it.

After much struggling, they succeeded in beating the shadow despite all odds.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The group felt great at beating the Contrarian King despite their injuries. They defeated the mighty enemy despite their own weaknesses, and they certainly won't be forgetting this moment.

Yu glanced at the base of the stairs leading up to the throne and noticed something – a fan. Approaching it, he picked it up and took a closer look. Instinct told him that it was way stronger than the fan Yukiko was using, so he went over to her. "Here, Yukiko. This one's much stronger than the fan you're using."

"Oh, thank you." Yukiko then swapped her weapon for the new one, observing it closely. "It looks quite sturdy!"

The silver-haired boy nodded, smiling. "You're welcome." He looked at the others. "I think we're finished training here… let's go back."

"Sure, I'm beat!" Yosuke grinned, feeling much stronger after beating all those shadows. "You were awesome, chief!" Chie complimented him, smiling brightly. Yu chuckled, scratching his head. "It's nothing… just a new Persona I fused."

The four of them would return to the TV world while chatting among one another about the battles they just went through, three of them still amazed at the skills their leader had. It was almost as if Yu Narukami had been a warrior in some past life…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That evening, Yu had himself another hot drink while Nanako drank from a juice box. He was still in his uniform, too tired to bother changing at the moment as he watched the news with his cousin. It was talking about an ATM that got destroyed with all of its cash stolen, so the police were busy trying to catch the culprit.

Nanako glanced at the clock worriedly. "…Dad's late…"

…Then the phone rang loudly. The little girl got up and ran over to it, answering the call. "Hello, dad? Yeah, I'm okay… yeah… yeah." Her expression began to fall. "…Okay… alright." She went over to her cousin, who grew concerned at her sudden drop in mood.

"He said to give you the phone… he can't take those days off." Nanako almost looked like she was going to cry as she gave the phone to her cousin before she promptly ran off to the stairs, going up to her room. "Nanako…" Yu stared at her sadly before answering the phone. "Hello, uncle…?"

_"Hello? Sorry, but I'm going to be late tonight. Make sure you lock up before you go to sleep. And about that time off on the 4th and 5th… one of the younger guys got sick… and, well, that case he's handling, we can't just let it sit… looks like I'm the only one who can take over for him."_

The silver-haired boy mentally sighed. "That's how it goes…" That's how life goes, really. Things like these happen, but they will always hurt someone in the end.

_"Sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden… um… how's Nanako holding up?"_

"Not very well…"

_"…Would you mind comforting her for me?"_

"No, uncle. I'll try to comfort her."

_"Thanks… all right then, see you."_

"See you too." The call ended there, leaving Yu in utter silence. He got up and went to put the phone back in its handle, seeing that there was no other reason for him to stay awake. Turning off the television and locking up the door, he went upstairs.

He realised that Nanako had already cried herself to sleep while he was busy getting the house locked for the night. Sighing, he could only go to his room to rest for the night too.

…This feels awfully familiar.

* * *

 

The next day was Constitution Day, so it was a holiday. By the time Yu went down after dressing up in his casual clothes, he saw that Nanako was already up. "Oh, morning," she greeted him. Yu nodded. "Good morning, Nanako." At least she was okay after yesterday… or so he thought.

The little girl was watching TV today as usual… but the sound of the doors opening alerted them to someone visiting them.

The both of them went to the doorway and saw Chie there. "Chie?" Yu was a bit surprised to see her there. It wasn't common that any of his friends visited him at home – in fact, it was him going to see them. "Oh, cool, you're home. Hey, if you're free today, wanna go somewhere? Yukiko's coming, too," Chie suggested, then looking at her friend's cousin. "How 'bout you, Nanako-chan? Wanna come?"

Nanako was unsure about it. "U-Um…"

Yu smiled and turned to face her. "Come with us, Nanako. It'll be fun," he told her. Nanako looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise. "Huh? I-I can come?"

Chie nodded at the little girl, smiling too. "Yeah. Heh… of course you can!"

Nanako then smiled back. "Okay!" So, she went out with them to town while still keeping close to Yu.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went to Junes, much to Nanako's joy.

The three of them met up with Yosuke, who was still on the clock, and Yukiko, who just finished her work back at the inn. They all sat at their usual table in the food court, with Nanako sitting near her cousin. Yosuke looked at Chie with a dirty look. "Why'd you bring poor Nanako-chan to a place like this on Golden Week?"

"Where else is there to go?" Chie replied him with a dirty look of her own. "I love Junes!" Nanako then told them both, surprising them. "N-Nanako-chan…!" Yosuke was even more surprised. Who knew that a little girl like Nanako would actually admit to liking Junes?

Nanako's expression soon fell, though. "But we were supposed to go on a real trip somewhere. We were going to make boxed lunches…"

"Wow! You can make boxed lunches, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked her in surprise. The little brunette girl shook her head before glancing at Yu who blushed when he noticed that his cousin had just revealed that he could cook. "W-well…"

Chie giggled. "Oh, so you're the family cook? Pretty impressive, 'big bro'!"

Nanako heard the nickname Chie just called her cousin and tried it out quietly. "Big… bro."

Yosuke was way more amazed at how great Yu was starting to sound all of a sudden. "Whoa, you can cook? Well, you do seem to be great with your hands—" A glare from the silver-haired boy shut him up. "Um, never mind." Realisation soon dawned on him at the fact that his words probably sounded wrong. Really wrong.

"I-I'm a pretty good cook too, you know… probably. If you'd asked, I would've whipped up some boxed lunches as easy as pie. Yeah…"

"Uhh, lemme think about-- no." Yosuke flat out refused the idea.

"What makes you think I can't cook!? Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves!"

"My, my, doth the lady protest too much? And hey, I never said I cooked. But I have this weird feeling… like I'd win anyway…"

Yukiko just laughed. "Ahaha, I can understand that."

"What the-- Yukiko!?" Chie couldn’t believe that even her best friend wasn't on her side. Yosuke looked at Nanako. "Here, Nanako-chan can be our judge. I bet we'll make something that ranks up there with your mom's cooking, Nanako-chan!"

"…I don't have a mom. She died in an accident." Nanako's words dampened the mood instantly. Yu didn't even know the full story, having wondered once in a while on why Nanako was alone and his uncle's wife wasn't around… and now he knew a part of it.

Everyone was silent for a moment as they took that information in. Chie glanced at Yosuke. "Hey, Yosuke…"

The brunette boy was trying to fix his mistake. "I-I see… um… sorry, I didn't know…"

Nanako shook her head, acting mature for her age. "It's okay. Even if I don't have a mom, I have Dad with me." She looked at her cousin and smiled. "…And now I have a brother, too. And I'm having a lot of fun today! I love Junes!"

"Y-Yeah? That's good."

"We'll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan!" Chie told the little girl while smiling. "Yeah, we should hang out more often," Yukiko added, nodding in agreement at her best friend's idea. Yosuke then got up. "C'mon, Nanako-chan. Let's go get a soda!"

Nanako smiled happily and nodded. "Okay!" She then got up and followed Yosuke to where they can get a soda. Yukiko, Chie and Yu looked off at the pair. "She's a strong girl…" Yukiko commented, astonished at how well Nanako handled all that.

"Yeah. She makes me feel like I'm the little kid here…" Chie admitted sheepishly. She then came to a conclusion about something. "That's it, I'm gonna go get something for Nanako-chan too!" So the two of them got up and went to get something for Nanako as well, leaving Yu at the table.

The silver-haired boy would've waited for them all to come back when he noticed that Nanako ran back to the table. "Do you want something too?" she asked him. "Huh? Oh, sure." Yu nodded, watching as his cousin gave him a carefree smile.

He smiled back.

Feeling a faint bond forming between himself and Nanako, he heard whispers in his head speaking of the formation of the _Justice Social Link_ of the _Justice Arcana_. Once those whispers began to fade out, he got up and went to his cousin's side.

"Wanna share some takoyaki?" Nanako asked him with a cute grin, which made him chuckle at the sight. "Sure, Nanako. Let's get some first."

The two of them then went to get just that. It seemed like Nanako was now going to start calling him 'big bro' – although Yu had considered telling her that he wasn't exactly a 'big bro', he would be risking his cover if she had slipped up on that. He let it pass in the end.

Though admittedly, he thought that this little event was much better than a trip out of town.

* * *

 

The next day was also another holiday, with it being Nature Day this time. As Yui dressed up for the day again, she wondered on when it'll be a rainy night again. They needed to check every now and then to see if there would be anyone on the Midnight Channel… so they could save them before their time ran out.

Today was not that day, so she guessed that she could take it easy for now.

As she was about to leave, her phone rang. Taking it out, she answered the call in a lower voice. "Hello, Yu Narukami speaking."

_"Yo, it's me! This might be kind of weird to ask after we hung out yesterday, but do you wanna hang out again today? I'll see if I can find someone else to come along with us."_

"Hm… sure, why not."

_"Sweet! Oh, hey, why don't you bring Nanako-chan with you? Let's all hang out together."_

"Alright, I will."

The call ended there.

He just made plans to go out… well, he better go and tell Nanako to get ready to go out then.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They met up at Junes, in the electronics department.

Yosuke looked at Nanako with a grin. "Nanako-chan sure loves this place. The first thing out of her mouth when I asked where she wanted to go was 'Junes!'."

Kou laughed a bit. "Who could blame her? This place has everything… it's like a storehouse of magic. I can see why she likes it. Anyways, isn't she cute? I have a younger sister too. I wish she was cute like Nanako-chan."

"I-I'm not cute…" Nanako pouted at being called that.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?"

"Don't worry, you're not cute," Daisuke then told the little girl, shocking her. Kou was just as shocked at hearing those words. "That's going kinda far…!"

Yosuke glared at Daisuke like he just said the stupidest thing ever. "Are you stupid or something!?"

Yu just chuckled. "That's the Daisuke I know."

Daisuke grinned at the silver-haired boy. "Heheh, don't flatter me like that."

"I don't think he is…" Yosuke sighed. Meanwhile, Nanako had been staring at one of the flatscreen televisions and grew nervous, stepping closer to Yu. "B-Big bro… that TV is huge…"

Daisuke looked at the television as well. "I feel like if I watched sports on a TV like this, I'd get sucked into the screen." His words elicited a troubled look from both Yu and Yosuke. "C-C'mon… like that could happen…" Yosuke told him, laughing nervously.

Well, the day promises to be an entertaining one…

* * *

 

For once, Yu had no plans the following day. Thinking about what to do, he remembered that there were a number of places he hadn't gone to yet. Narrowing down his choices to three spots, he decided to go to Junes's grocery department first.

While there was a vast array of things he could get, he didn't really need any of them… but he should at least buy something since he got here after all that walkinf. Going over to a stand of items, something caught his eye – some tater longs.

With a shrug, he bought them. Time to go somewhere else this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The nearest spot to Junes was the shrine in the shopping district. He heard many kinds of rumours all about it, and it was about time he found out about them too. Upon reaching that very shrine… he saw that there was no one else other than him on the premises.

Seeing that the shrine wasn't even well-maintained, what with the dust on the wooden structure being noticeable, he decided to just go home since it was already getting dark. Yet as he turned around, he froze where he stood at the feeling that _someone_ was watching him.

He dared to look behind himself… and saw a strange animal on the roof of the shrine.

The creature jumped off from it and then landed in front of him, revealing itself to be a fox with a red apron tied around its next. "What the…?" Yu stared at it incredulously. Does this fox live at this shrine…? It was even staring at him, with an 'ema' plaque in its mouth…

It approached him, nudging the ema into his hand. Looking closely at it, Yu read the written words on it. It was from someone named Keita, asking for help so that his grandfather's legs can get better… it was a wish. Why would the fox give him this?

Yu raised an eyebrow and turned the ema onto its back, noticing an unusually-shaped leaf stuck on the back of it. Even with his constant moving around, he did not recognize this lead from the local plant life nor any other state he had lived in before.

…Was this also the work of this fox?

The silver-haired boy nearly jumped when the fox suddenly ran off for cover as an old man approached him.

"Oh, not every day you see young'uns like you around here. Nobody lives at this here shrine. I come by to tidy things up once in a while, but lately my legs are so achy, I just can't do it. I've been tryin' to get this place up to snuff, but there just isn't enough money to go around. Well, I s'pose I'll pay my respects." The old man spoke to him. "If my legs don't heal, I can't maintain the shrine. That, and… I won't be able to visit Keita anymore. He's my grandson, y'know."

Yu's eyes widened. Wait, Keita? The same Keita who wrote the ema that was in his hand right now?

His thoughts were interrupted when the old man saw the ema in his hand. "Hmm!? What's that you got in your hand there? Could it be…!? That leaf…! That's it! Way back when, my grandmother always used to say a leaf shaped like that was the best kind of ache remedy out there! Ah, what memories! But how'd you get your hands on this!? I didn't think you could find those in the mountains anymore. P-Please, young man! Can I trouble you to spare me that leaf!?"

"O-of course, here." Yu took the leaf off the ema and gave it to the old man.

"Ooh, this is it, this is it… now let's see here…" The old man then stuck the leaf onto his leg… "Oooh, I can feel it! It's working!" He then jumped, as if he was a young man with no pain in his legs. "Amazing! The pain I've been feeling for who knows how long-it just up and vanished! Hm…? Hrmmm…!? Why, I feel better than I have in years!" He smiled at the teenager. "You really helped me out, young man! I'm so grateful! Now I can go visit my grandson! I'd better pay thanks to the shrine for bringing us together like this!"

The old man then approached the offertory box gleefully, putting some money in it before running off. Yu just stared at where the old man had run off to in amazement. Not only did the leaf heal the old man's aches, it even restored his vitality…

Yu then noticed that the fox had come out of its hiding place, looking on with a content expression. It seemed to understand that the wish on the ema has been granted… heck, it even went over to the offertory box as if to check the contents. It even understood that the shrine had just received an offering.

A thought crossed the boy's mind. Perhaps he was given the ema with the leaf for that express purpose.

The fox then yipped at him while looking up at him mirthfully, appearing to have taken a liking to him. It had a mouthful of the same leaves as the one he just gave to the old man – did it have a large stock of these leaves?

Another yip from the fox got Yu thinking. Was there something it wanted from him? It was pretty strange to have an encounter, with a fox actually showing him a pile of leaves. Somehow, he could feel a faint bond forming between himself and the fox… and soon the same whispers spoke in his head about the formation of the _Hermit Social Link_ of the _Hermit Arcana_.

How does that even work, he didn't even know. But there were much more better things to wonder about, like how does this fox get these leaves? They would be pretty useful in the TV world.

The fox yipped again, as if understanding Yu's thoughts. It gestured at the offertory box… was it offering its services for a price? Once again, the fox yipped at him, seemingly agreeing to aid him in his adventures in the TV world for a fee.

"You're a strange one…" Yu muttered with a shrug before returning the ema to the shrine. He's gone through enough strange things in one day – he's better off going home at this point.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The news that night was a good one, as the prime suspect for the ATM robbery has been caught. With it, Yu's uncle also came home. "I'm home." The man sighed as he entered the house. "How many days is he gonna call in sick? These rookies lately sure are—"

"Welcome back!" Nanako greeted him warmly. The two of them walked over to the table, sitting down side by side. "Nanako… I'm sorry I broke my promise again…" Ryotaro apologised to his daughter. "Oh, um, my big bro and his friends played with me instead," Nanako told him.

"I see…" The man looked at his nephew with a smile. "Thanks."

The little girl then noticed a shopping bag next to her father. "Oh, that's a Junes bag! What's in it?"

"Haha, good eye. Well, today is Children's Day… so I brought you a present." Ryotaro dug into the bag and took out a shirt, giving it to his daughter. "Yaaaay!" Nanako cheered as she got the shirt. "Oooh, a t-shirt…" Opening it up, it was a shirt with a funny logo on it.

Her father chuckled. "Haha, it took me a while to decide what to get you. You like it?"

"Oh wow, there's a picture on the front! That's so funny! Ahaha, yay!"

Ryotaro then looked at Yu. "I got you one, too. Not that you're still a child or anything, but fair's fair. And, uh, it may be strange, but… your parents aren't around to see you if you do decide to wear it." Instead of taking out his nephew's gift, he gave the whole bag instead.

The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow at that. Peering inside, he saw what was his gift - a kind of swimsuit. But it wasn't just any kind… it was a black and white bikini, fit for a _girl_. Blushing deeply, he looked up at his uncle in shock. This was his gift? "U-uncle…"

"L-look, I know what your mother tells you to do, Yu. But you'll be here for a year; letting loose of that act once in a while doesn't hurt," Ryotaro explained to him, a bit embarrassed himself. "You're acting like a nephew and a niece to me at the same time… it must be hard to keep acting like someone else, even if you did act up at one point."

Yu let his gaze fall. It's true that he could just throw his crossdressing act out of the window for the year… but what of his new friends? How would they react to having a girl being their leader, or knowing that the guy they trusted in has been a girl all this while? He had the chance to do that when he first arrived in Inaba, but it's too late.

It's just too late to throw _her_ masks away.

"…Well… thank you for the gift, uncle," Yu said meekly, gripping the bag tightly with a hue of red still on his cheeks. While he wasn't sure if he'll ever wear it… he'll keep it, at the very least. Ryotaro just nodded. "Don't mention it. Well then… let's eat."

Nanako was looking at the scene with worry. "Are you two fighting…?"

"No, no! We're just… talking," Yu quickly told her, putting on a smile for his cousin. For once, he felt the urge to hide away for a while. "Come on, let's eat."

"…Okay."

The evening went on quietly, though somewhat pleasant for the three of them… at least.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui sat on the sofa in her room for a good while, staring at the ceiling. The bag with her uncle's gift was set down near her study desk, and possibly will remain there for a long while. It wasn't until now did she realize that maybe, just maybe, she will never be able to throw this crossdressing act away until the day she has to shed it to be with a man her parents or grandfather arranged for her to marry.

…It hurt so much. But she just grew tired of aching, and once tried to dispel of that pain by turning to the path of delinquency, with a katana as her blade to fight against the rules that held her down. Until one day, she almost made an irreversible mistake… and she left that path at the cost of physical pain.

Her mistakes from that time were chaining her to so many other things, she found that she couldn't ever break free them. She disappointed her family, and now she must pay the price. Her uncle and cousin here may never know the true extent of how deeply rooted her role is in this act.

Her uncle may try to understand, but he can't. He just can't.

Yui Narukami can never exist while Yu Narukami still lives in the memories of other people. One must remain dead for the other to live… and that was a twisted perception Yui had grown to understand. Even jobs opportunities were like that, except that she'll be forced to take up her grandfather's mantle to handle the company.

So many other things were like that.

…She wondered if her uncle felt the same as her parents because of her past delinquency. If he did, then… there was nothing she can do about it. Hopelessly stuck in a situation brought on by a man many years older than her, she can never escape it.

Such is the pitiful tale of her life.


	11. New Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They more they grow closer, the more they trust and confide in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the chapter title implies, this chapter focuses some more on the Social Link events. Ah, but we're getting closer to another set of new events... you'll have to wait for the next chapter, heh. Aaaanyway... let's get on to the chapter!

Yu walked to school the next day morosely, his thoughts during the night before having brought his spirits down easily. However, he quickly forced a smile on his face when he heard a squeaking sound approaching him from behind which should belong to Yosuke's bike…

Right as he turned around, there the brunette was with his bike. "Yo!"

"Hi." Yu slowly nodded. Yosuke got off his bike, setting it against the pole for a moment. "Dammit, I just fixed this thing… it's making squeaking sounds again…" he muttered. The silver-haired boy glanced at the bike – it looked pretty… shit. "Maybe you just need a new one."

"Huh? Yeah… hey, by the way… I'm sorry about the other day… you know, about what I said to Nanako-chan. After hanging out with Nanako-chan… I feel even stronger that we have to solve this case."

"Well… I'm counting on you." Yu depended on everyone else on the team much like they did on him, to remind himself to never lose sight, and to not make a choice that may endanger everyone's lives. Though their actions in the TV world were risking the latter anyway.

Yosuke grinned at him. "Hehe… same to you! Y'know, Chie and Yukiko seem different lately… they're a lot closer." He then thought of something. "Oh yeah, I was just curious, but are you… ehh, never mind. If we keep chatting, we're gonna be late." He sighed after that, looking at his bike. "Man, school's such a chore. And now my bike's messed up too… the roads are much wider here than in the city, so I keep speeding… I guess that did it." He shrugged in the end. "Oh well. Until I get my motorcycle license, I'll just have to walk."

Yu raised an eyebrow. A motorcycle license? He had a bad feeling about it.

"…Hey, what's that look for?"

"Nothing!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, they decided to chat for a bit.

"Ugh… why do the holidays have to end so fast…?" Chie murmured. It was fun, not having to wake up early and walk to school. "At least they were peaceful," Yosuke told her, shrugging. "I listened in on the housewives gossiping at Junes, but it doesn't seem like anything happened. And I haven't heard anything about someone disappearing suddenly, either… y'think Yukiko could've been the last of the victims?"

Yu shook his head. The killer was still on the loose, after all. "I doubt this is over."

"Hmm…" Chie looked worried at that. "I don't know. But we shouldn't relax as long as the culprit remains at large," Yukiko then said. Yosuke scratched the back of his head. "I wonder… will someone show up on TV again if it rains? If we only knew a little more about who the killer might be…"

"Eh, it's no good fretting over it now. If someone does show up on the Midnight Channel, then we'll deal with it. It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope this weather holds through next week…" Chie glanced at everyone nervously. "You know… midterms…"

"Ugh, you had to go and bring that up… I don't wanna think about it."

The brunette girl sighed. "I wish I had Yukiko's gift for studying… hey Yosuke, why don't you have Yukiko go over some of the material with you?"

"Hm? Oh, that's right. Yukiko's ranked at the top on every exam. Maybe I should ask her for some private lessons."

"P-Private lessons!?" Yukiko looked at him with shock.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Yosuke soon found himself being slapped in the face by the black-haired girl. Somehow, his choice of words ended up with him like this. "Ow…! What was that for? I'm just asking you to help me study…"

"Oh, I'm sorry… you were talking about studying… I thought it might've been an off-colour joke. Our inn has had some strange visitors lately…"

"If you thought it was a joke, then just shrug it off!"

"Sorry. My hand moved without thinking…"

"Geez… thanks a lot, Chie, for bringing up the whole studying thing."

"Wh-What did I do!? You're the one who made it sound creepy and wrong! 'Private lessons', huh?" Chie glared at Yosuke for that. "Wha-Then it's mostly my fault!?" Yosuke glared back at her, and soon the two of them were arguing.

Yu and Yukiko could only stare at them quietly, troubled at the ongoing argument between the two brunettes. The latter checked the time. "Oh… I should start heading home." Yukiko then left, leaving the silver-haired boy to deal with it.

…Well, darn it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once those two finally calmed down, Yu decided to go out to town for a bit. He remembered about the fox yesterday and went down to the shrine at the shopping district to see if the fox had another wish it wanted granted.

Upon arriving there, he looked up to see the fox on the roof. Soon, it jumped off and landed right behind him with an ema bearing a wish written on it in its mouth. "Hello there…" He approached the fox and picked the ema out of the fox's mouth, reading the wish.

It seemed to be a young girl's handwriting… wishing that things go well with the person she liked.

Yu glanced at the fox. "Sure, I'll do this one."

The fox barked happily at him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu walked back to school, he saw something strange when he entered. A female student was standing in front of his shoe box, looking nervous… he approached her. "Excuse me?"

"Aahhhhh! Wh-what? Oh, you're the transfer student, Yu…" She was silent for a moment. "Yu…? Oh, I must have made a mistake! This is your shoe box!" When that realisation dawned on her, she quickly ran away. The silver-haired box watched her for a moment with a confused look.

…She said something about his shoe box. Looking at his shoe box, he checked the inside of it and found a note. It was literally a love letter, confessing her feelings to whoever the lucky guy was… and it wasn't him, thankfully. That would've been awkward.

His thoughts then went to the ema request. What if she was the one who wrote it? Well, he'll have to see her another day since she already ran off to who knows where… maybe he'll spend the day hanging out with Yosuke this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two of them decided to go to Junes's food court for a quick bite to eat, sitting at one of the tables there. Yosuke grinned at him. "Hanging out with you here every so often isn't that bad. Even if we're short on cash, we can get a little discount here. Though there's a small price to pay in exchange for that…"

As if to make the brunette boy's point, someone called out to him. "Oh, there you are, Hanamura!"

He sighed. "…For example." He stood up, turning to face a pair of girls who looked like they would do anything to make sure things always went well for them. Yu tried not to frown at the sight – even if he never met those two girls, he had a subtle feeling that he wouldn't like them at all.

"Hello there, Senpai. What's wrong today?" Yosuke asked the two girls. The girl wearing a yellow shirt started complaining. "You better say something to that blockhead manager! I told him I can't come in on Saturdays or Sundays. But he's saying I have to be here since we're low on staff. And if I don't, he'll fire me!"

Her friend spoke up too. "Isn't there some kinda law against that?!"

Yosuke attempted to keep a calm face while he spoke. "Er, but… didn't you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?"

"Well, yeah. They wouldn't hire us if we didn't!"

The brunette boy could only sigh quietly. "…Alright, I got it. I'll try talking with him… but you don’t wanna get fired, right? It'd make it easier for me to strike a deal if you could show up every now and then on weekends…"

One of the girls nodded. "…We'll think about it."

"You'd better do it, 'kay?" Her friend then told him. The two of them were just spoiled brats... at least, that was how Yu saw them both. The two girls soon left, leaving Yosuke to deal with the problem on his own… and just when he thought he was done, someone else called out to him. "Oh, Yosuke-kun. Just the man I was looking for."

He looked up in surprise, seeing an older female employee approach him. "Ohhhh… hi."

"Hear me out! Remember that claim I had the other day? Well, the head butcher said…"

"Alright, alright. Let's talk over there." Yosuke looked at Yu. "Sorry, Yu. Could you give me a minute?"

"Of course." Yu nodded and watched as the two went to a corner so Yosuke could listen what the employee had to say. Once that was done, the brunette boy went back to his seat and groaned. "Phew, I'm beat… I'm not the complaints department…"

The silver-haired boy could only look at him in wonder. "You're pretty incredible, handling all that."

"Huh? Dude, it's nothing but trouble!" Yosuke told him, smiling sheepishly. He then lowered his head, sighing. "Geez… everyone's just trying to take advantage of me as the Junes kid. Maybe I wouldn't mind if I was free, but we have the murders to deal with. I don't have time for this. Can the police really handle the killer? Can the law really convict whoever's behind this…?"

Shaking his head, he continued. "Once I started worrying about that stuff, I knew I couldn't bother with anything else. I have to do what I can…"

"That's the spirit," Yu told him.

Yosuke looked up at him with surprise. "Hey, don't get carried away! You make me feel like I said something crazy…" After a moment, he looked down again. "Haha… I never thought I'd be talking about serious stuff like this…"

The brunette boy glanced out at the view of the town. "Before I moved here, it was all small talk. Stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. It's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie…" As he said that, he looked at his friend. "…Especially with you. You've already seen the worst of me and all. But well… thinking about it now, if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you." He smiled sheepishly. "It's a bit late now, but… thanks for going in with me that time."

"No problem." Yu smiled back, feeling his relationship with Yosuke grow deeper with the _Magician Social Link_.

"…Man, I'm getting kinda hungry." Yosuke looked at the counter and grinned. "Alright, I'll see if I can get a deal with the guy at the counter and try out the Meat Lover's Combo!" He got up and went to do just that. After a while of spending time together, they parted and went back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu got back home quietly, entering it while announcing that he's home. When he entered the living room of the house, he noticed that his uncle was at the dining table while reading a newspaper. After what happened last night, the silver-haired boy felt like that maybe… he could talk to his uncle a bit.

"Uncle…?" He went towards Ryotaro, who looked at him. "Hey, Yu. How're things? You should be used to life here by now."

"I kind of am… can I talk with you?"

"Haha, you bored? Well, have a seat. We haven't had time to talk like this since you got here, huh?"

So Yu took a seat, sitting across of his uncle. Now Ryotaro was desperately trying to think for a topic to discuss… and ended up with the most basic question one could probably ask a teenager. "Uhhh… well, how's school?"

"It's… fun, I suppose."

"I see… that's good to hear. Your school days will be over before you know it. Make sure you have fun while you can." The man was nodding to himself. "What else…? Oh, yeah… how about your friends?"

"They're alright. I've made some since I've arrived."

"…Looks like you've made plenty of 'em." Ryotaro scowled at that. "I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but… you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Oh, definitely. Yu could only nod, guilt growing in his chest at the memories of his time in junior high as a delinquent. He was literally friends with the worst troublemakers in that school… "Yes, I do."

"Huh. So you did notice…" The man then nodded. "For some reason, wherever there's an incident, there you are… I wish I didn't have to consider this, but… the killings began around the time you came to town. My job is all about eliminating the random element. I look only at the facts. If you keep getting caught up in my job, then…"

Nanako approached them both. "…What's wrong? Big bro didn't do anything bad."

Ryotaro looked at her with a troubled expression. He had to lie a bit about that. "I-I know. I didn't mean it like that."

"But you're bullying him…"

"I'm not bullying him. We were just having a little talk." Ryotaro then glanced at the clock. "It's getting late… go to sleep."

"…Okay." Nanako then left them alone, going up to her room. Ryotaro shook his head, smiling a bit hesitantly. "Sheesh… she's really taking a shine to you. Look… just don't get yourself involved in anything dangerous. As long as you're safe, everything's fine. Your parents didn't ask me to raise your grades or anything."

Yu nodded again. That was an advice he wasn't going to take, though. Nonetheless, his uncle was genuinely worried for him… and with that, he could feel a faint bond forming between himself and Ryotaro as the whispers spoke in his head of the formation of the _Hierophant Social Link_ of the _Hierophant Arcana_.

Ryotaro seemed a little awkward now. "Things here might be a little different from what you're used to, but this is a good town. Though it's a little dangerous right at the moment… now then, it's about time for you to turn in. Get some sleep. 'Night."

"Good night, uncle." Yu nodded and got up from his seat before going up the stairs to his room. Now that he remembered, exams were starting soon…

* * *

 

Saturday was a rainy day this time, and while it was always a cause of worry now ever since Yu and his friends learned that the Midnight Channel was connected to the murders somehow, he did love the rain back in the past. Mostly because of the cool air and the calming silence that followed.

As he walked to school, he overhead two students talking.

"All this rain… I hate rain. It's supposed to keep raining until this evening, too. Speaking of misery… midterms start next Monday. They even post the results up for everyone to see…"

"Oh, don't worry about it. Your life isn't going to be ruined by one little piece of paper, is it?"

"What? How can you possibly believe that? Getting good grades has benefits when interacting with people! Talented people really are more highly valued in society, aren't they…?"

…Yu guessed that he should take that little information to heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After school ended, Yu was about to go study in the library when he bumped into the same female student from yesterday. "Oh… you're…" The girl grew embarrassed. She's the girl who had mistakenly put a love letter inside his shoe box. "…D-did you read my letter?"

Well, no point in lying about it.

"I did," Yu replied bluntly.

"H-H-How could you!? You jerk! I didn't even have the courage to sign it, and yet a totally random person now knows my secret! Argh! What's the point of trying to be secretive anymore!? I've already embarrassed myself this much, I might as well go confess! How do you like that!?" The female student then ran off.

The silver-haired boy could only blink in silence. This might go well… he should probably ask her on how her confession went some other day. In the meantime, he went to the library to study for his upcoming exams.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Yu felt like spending some time with his cousin. When he asked her about it, Nanako nodded happily.

So, now he found himself sitting across her at the small table in the living room. Nanako wasn't sure of what to say. "Oh, ummm… big bro…" She was fidgeting nervously… Yu just smiled. "Go ahead and ask, Nanako."

A look of relief appeared on the little girl's face. "…Okay! Ummm… well… are you an only child?"

Yu nodded. "That's right… I am."

Nanako giggled, smiling cheerfully. "So you're just like me. Oh, but I have you now, so…" She paused for a moment. "A while ago, Dad told me… that our family won't get any bigger… but now I have a big brother!" She beamed at the silver-haired boy a smile that covered her entire face…

Through that smile, Yu could feel like his relationship with his cousin grow deeper with the _Justice Social Link_.

Now, Nanako was all excited and cheery. "Let's talk, big bro! Umm… I wanna hear about your school!"

"My school? Well…"

So Yu began to talk about various things with his cousin until it got late, which he then put Nanako to bed before going to his room to rest.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Yui was getting ready for bed, she got a text message from someone. Taking out her phone, she checked the message and saw that it was from Yosuke, who was asking if she wanted to hang out with him tomorrow to get their minds off of studying for a while.

"Huh." The silver-haired girl thought about it for a moment. Well, she did spend some hours studying at the library this afternoon… a break from it wouldn't hurt. She sent a text message back, saying that she'll take up his offer.

Putting her phone back near her futon, she went to sleep.

* * *

 

That Sunday morning, Yui got ready to go out to meet Yosuke when her phone rang. "Who is it this time…?" She took out her phone and answered in the voice she usually used when she was acting as a boy. "Hello, who is this?"

_"Um, hello? This is Chie. Would you mind hanging out with me for a while today? I need to get my mind off of studying for a while…"_

"Oh, Chie. I'm sorry… I have plans today."

The change in her tone was subtly noticeable, sounding a bit disappointed. _"O-oh, really? That's okay, then. Bye, Yu!"_

The call ended there. Yui could only sigh – she'll try to spend time with her later. For now, she's meeting Yosuke.

~*~*~*~*~*~

…What Yu didn't expect was for Yosuke to call him and say that he was waiting in front of the house. In a quick hurry, he hid the bag that had his uncle's gift to him in one of the shelves of his study desk before he went downstairs to answer the door.

"Yosuke, you didn't tell me you were coming here…!" Yu told him, panting a bit. "Sorry, kinda had the idea pop into my mind. I've never been in your room, actually." Yosuke apologized while grinning sheepishly. Without waiting for an invitation inside, he took off his shoes and went inside. "This place's pretty small…"

"Y-Yosuke…" Yu tried to stop him as he laughed nervously.

"Oh, what about your room?" Yosuke then went towards the stairs and ran up.

"Yosuke!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yosuke pretty much barged into Yu's room, taking a look around. "Hmmm, it's pretty clean."

"Wait up, Yosuke!" The silver-haired boy ran after him into his room, panting heavily once inside. The brunette just grinned. "What are you so nervous about? Is there something you're hiding? Like… under your futon?"

Yu wiped his brow of sweat. "If you're seriously asking that, then yes. Who doesn't?"

This made Yosuke laugh. "Hahaha! Why are you acting so dignified about it? Alright, I'll check 'em out when you go take a piss of something. I'll expose your embarrassing tastes!!" He was clearly having fun with himself.

"Hey! Don't you dare!" Yu blushed slightly. Thank goodness he didn't hide anything weird under it, though… just a few mementos from his past… and… crap. He forgot to remove a picture of himself when he was young with his grandmother. He needed to be careful.

The brunette was silent for a moment. "So, you ever invited a girl in here?" he asked, staring directly at his friend. Yu hesitated a bit at answering, but he had to think of how he would answer if he really was a guy… "…I will. Soon."

That felt weird to say.

His response took Yosuke by surprise. "Seriously?! That mean you're working on someone?!"

Now Yu had no idea what to say to that… but he was glad that he didn't have to as Nanako's voice took their attention. "Are you up there? Have you seen the public notice anywhere?"

The two boys looked at each other. "Nanako-chan's here? Let's let her in," Yosuke told Yu who nodded. "Okay then."

So the two of them let Nanako enter the room.

"Nanako-chan, are you free today?" Yosuke asked her with a smile. Nanako shook her head. "No, I'm going to Takeyoshi-kun's house with Miwa-chan and Yo-chan."

"A-a guy's house!?"

The little girl didn’t understand why the brunette boy was shocked by that. "Takeyoshi-kun sits next to me. I'm going to deliver the class notice to him. Miwa-chan said she's going with me because she likes Takeyoshi-kun."

"…Because she likes him…? M-man, kids sure are mature these days… well, my first love was in kindergarten, too! I've always been ahead of my time." Yosuke frowned after that. "But, well… I don't really need that in my life right now. It's just not the time… I have something I need to do before that can happen…"

"Homework?" Oh Nanako… she's unaware of what her cousin and his friends were doing.

"No… well, maybe it is." Yosuke somewhat smiled. "You're smart, Nanako-chan!"

Nanako smiled back brightly at the compliment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Soon, she left for her friend's house, leaving Yu and Yosuke alone in the room again. The brunette boy frowned again. "Nanako-chan called it 'homework'… catching the killer, ending the murders, bringing peace to the town… only we can do it, huh?" He looked at his friend with a grin. "Let's hang in there. I'm counting on you."

He was really determined to solve this mystery… Yu could sense the trust he had towards him, and while it was bringing on a heavier weight onto his shoulders, the silver-haired boy couldn't find it in his heart to refuse it.

With that, his bond with Yosuke grew closer with the _Magician Social Link_.

Yosuke then remembered something. "Oh, so did the notice reach you yet? The one about joining the young men's association."

"Joining… what?" Yu never heard of it.

"They were talking about having some kind of event to boost the economy. Junes is involved with it, so they're trying to rope me in. I don't have time for that… I told 'em I was busy, but they keep dogging me. I don't care about the young men's association or about boosting the economy…" Yosuke could only sigh while looking down at the carpet floor.

All of a sudden, he turned around to face the folded-up futon. "Alright, time to take a peek under the futon!"

Yu blushed again when he heard that. "Yosuke, no!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu spent the rest of his day chatting with Yosuke after the little futon ordeal, and once it started to get dark did they say goodbye for the day. He managed to stop Yosuke from discovering what he did hide under the futon, which was something he was thankful for.

His uncle was inside again, reading newspaper… he approached him quietly. "Uncle?"

"Hm? Oh, Yu. What is it?" Ryotaro looked at him with a smile. Yu rubbed his own arm a little awkwardly. "I… just wanna talk. Is that okay?"

"Of course... are you that bored, though? Just take a seat."

The silver-haired boy nodded and sat on the chair across of his uncle at the dining table. Ryotaro set the newspaper down so they could start talking. "So… what have you been doing after school?" he asked his nephew.

Yu sheepishly smiled. "Working, actually." While he did hang out with friends, his studies and readings could count as him working to become the heir of his grandfather's company… and then there was his part-time jobs.

His uncle was pretty surprised at that, impressed even. "Oh, really…? You're pretty responsible for your age." But then he noticed how he was speaking and looked away with a sigh. "…Whoops. This is turning into an interrogation, isn't it? But it's not as if we have much in common… except for the murders."

The boy then tried to change the subject. "Well, tell me about yourself, uncle."

Ryotaro glanced at Yu. "About me? You're interested in the strangest things…" He shrugged, but was somewhat thankful for the change in topic anyway. "It's just what it seems. I'm a simple country detective living with my daughter. There's nothing about that to interest a high school kid…"

He then smiled at his nephew. "But you know, it really is good to have you around the house. I didn't think Nanako would be so happy… hell, I'm already tired of hearing 'big bro' this and 'big bro' that. You're more like a very young brother to me than a son. Or… a very young sister." He was a bit sheepish at that.

"Come on, that's stretching it." Yu chuckled at that.

"What?! You're saying you can see the years on my face? What a punk! Treating a regular guy like an old man…!" Ryotaro laughed cheerfully. He fell silent after a moment, thinking of something. "…I think it's been a while since I've laughed this much," he admitted with a wistful smile.

Yu could feel his relationship with his uncle grow deeper after being able to speak frankly with him… and soon, he felt the _Hierophant Social Link_ become stronger as well.

The man's expression soon turned serious again. "Alright, I have to finish processing some data from work. Don't hit the sack too late, you hear?"

"I won't… good night, uncle." Yu nodded.

"'Night."

The silver-haired boy then got up from his seat to go up to his room. It wasn't until now that he remembered yet again that tomorrow was the start of his midterms… well, he better sleep early.

* * *

 

On the way to school that Monday, Yu noticed Chie running up to him while looking quite worried. "Morning… exams are finally starting today… real life's harsh…" she murmured. "…Have you studied for them?" The silver-haired boy then asked her.

"Can't you tell? Do I look like I'm ready?" Chie looked like she lost the world already. "…But, even once exams are over, we're not done with the case. All this depressing stuff's just gonna keep going on and on and on…"

"Come on, we'll pull through…" Yu tried to cheer her up, at least.

They won't be able to do anything until the midterms are over…

* * *

 

Just like that, three days of the midterms passed. Yu felt confident about his answers when he answered the written comprehensive part which was the test for today… and once that was done, the midterms were finally over. Exams were still a stressful part of high school, even if his knowledge was much better than the average student due to pressure from his training…

When school ended, he and his friends chatted a bit.

Yosuke stretched his arms, relieved that exams were finished for the time being. "It's finally over. Whewwww! What a load off! I bet every student feels like this after exams are over!"

Chie glared at him. "Hey, quiet down!" She focused back on Yukiko. "So, what did you write for number seven? The one about what 'that' referred to in the sentence."

"Um… I put 'her sorrowful expression'," Yukiko answered her.

"Oh crap, then I got it wrong! I put, 'the rice cakes on top of the table'."

"Rice cakes…? Wait, was that what the story was about…?"

The brunette girl sighed, slumping into her seat. "Alright, I'm giving up on composition. I'm gonna bet it all on geography!" She glanced at Yu. "What did you choose for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"

"Olympus Mons," Yu merely answered.

"Oh, seriously!? I chose the wrong one…"

"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko told them both. Yosuke was surprised to learn that. "Whoa, you too!? Then it's probably the right answer…" He sighed. He's so going to fail this. "Boy, I can't wait for our grades to be posted out in the hall where everyone can see 'em. Geez…"

Then, a conversation between two students caught their attention.

"Hey, did you hear? A TV station's filming here in town."

"They're probably just doing more stuff about that hanging corpse case."

"No, it's not that. You know the highway nearby? They're gonna cover those biker gangs that hang around there. A friend of mine goes to the biker meetings sometimes. I heard it from him."

"Dude, what're you doing hanging out with a guy in a biker gang? Well, anyways… whaddya think about tomorrow's group blind date? We were gonna meet outside, but… it's gonna rain soon, right? Won't it be better to play it safe tomorrow too?"

Yukiko was curious at that. "Biker gang?"

The words rang a bell in Chie's head. "Oh yeah… they raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear 'em."

Yosuke groaned. "We live right by the road. The noise can drive you insane."

"I hear some guys at this school are part of it, too."

"Yeah, I know there are some rumours about a first-year student here who's a total hellraiser. One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school. Although... was he in a biker gang…?"

Yukiko raised an eyebrow. "D-Did you say he was a legend?"

"Uh, it's not what you think, Yukiko…" Chie told her with a sigh.

They eventually ended their conversation and went to do their own things.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Yu went out of the classroom to notice the girl who had stormed off to confess to the guy she liked was standing near his class again. "Oh! Hey you, listen!" she called him over. "Yes?" The silver-haired boy went over to her.

"The confession! It worked! I can't believe it! I'm so happy. I'm glad I got his shoe box confused with yours." She was smiling happily. Yu smiled too. "That's good." Then the wish on that ema was finally granted. He should probably report to the fox about it someday.

The female student then recalled something. "…Oh, that's right! I need to give thanks at the Tatsuhime Shrine! My wish came true! I'll make a big offering!" She went off to do that, leaving Yu at the hallway. The boy glanced behind himself to notice Yosuke standing around. "Hey Yosuke."

"Uh, Yu! Mind if you can help me at Junes for a sec?" Yosuke said as he went over to his friend. He looked really troubled for some reason, which made Yu confused at the sight. "What's the matter?"

"No time to explain! You can help out with restocking at the grocery department. Please, partner?" The brunette boy was practically begging. "W-well…" Yu didn't exactly have any other plans… "…Sure, lead the way."

"Great! Come on!"

So now Yu found himself being dragged off to Junes by his friend…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two of them went to Junes's grocery department as Yosuke's father needed some extra hands to restock the items there. While Yu was busy doing that, Yosuke continued to promote the items on sale.

"Welcome, one and all! Choice salmon, 59 yen a slice, just as advertised! And while you're at it, how about some cheese? Direct from Italy and just 298 yen for today only…" Yosuke glanced at the silver-haired boy. "Restock this shelf, too!" he told him while pointing at said shelf.

"A-alright." Yu hurried himself to do his job, running over to restock it. This kept on for a while…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Afterwards, they both hung out at the food court. Yu did get some extra money from his work, which he'll put to good use for weapons and armour later.

Yosuke was all tired after that. "Phew, I'm dead tired… they decided on the sale at the last minute, and Dad was bugging me to find helpers. I told him I didn't have time for that, but he wasn't listening." He looked at his best friend with a smile. "But hey, I'm glad you were there! Thanks."

"It's no problem." Yu shrugged, smiling too. It was actually kind of fun – he wouldn't be having any experience working in such an environment since he'll be stuck working in a company in his late future. The brunette laughed a bit. "You really are a good guy."

But of course, the mood was easily ruined at the presence of the two girls who had complained to Yosuke the other day. "Oh, Hanamura." They both approached the table, looking annoyed. "What's with the crowd today? It's way busy. If I'd known, I woulda skipped out."

Yosuke got up, trying to talk to them. "Please don't. You got a bonus for today, right?"

"Yeah, a whole 500 yen. I'm trying to save up! Gimme a raise." Ungrateful, much?

The brunette boy sighed. "Well… I don't think I can help you there…"

"What’s the point, then?" The two girls then went away, so Yosuke sat back into his seat.

However, those two girls still stood around as they began to talk. Loudly, in fact.

"At this rate, my graduation trip'll be somewhere in Japan. Maybe I should ask my parents to pay for it."

"Why don't you find a guy to pay?"

"Haha, like Saki did?"

This caught both Yu and Yosuke's attention. The latter bit his lip in silence at the mention of his Senpai's name. The two girls just kept on talking.

"Was it last year? Saki's elopement, I mean."

"Yep. Apparently she got with a college guy who came home, and went off with him. But she came right back, saying she'd save money and leave on her own."

"Huh? You mean she was dumped?"

"Who knows… she started working here to save money, didn't she? You know us high school girls can make easy money if we really want to."

The pair continued to gossip…

Yosuke sighed and looked away. "It doesn’t matter. It's just hot air. I'm not letting it get to me." He gritted his teeth. "…It's sad to be talked about like that, though." Looking at Yu, his expression turned serious. "We're the only ones who can avenge Saki-senpai… we're special. We're the only ones. So… there's no need to bother with outsiders."

Yu felt a bit sorry for him. "You're quite mature…"

The brunette chuckled sadly. "Haha… I saw the kid in me inside the TV. I felt I needed to change..." He smiled sheepishly. "I think it's good you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it this far." As he said that, he nodded firmly.

The bond between the two boys grew deeper, and so did the _Magician Social Link_.

Yosuke then sighed again, looking up at the sky. "What a pain." He was quiet for a moment when he noticed what he just said. "Oh, uh, not you…" he told Yu. "…I wonder what is it. I dunno…"

…They talked some more after that, before they finally went separate ways for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu decided to talk some more to his uncle for the evening, a glance from him being enough for Ryotaro to take the hint. He sat in his usual spot as his uncle set down the newspaper he was reading.

Ryotaro started the talk like usual. "I heard something at the station the other day… about… well… I heard you guys hang out at Junes pretty often."

The silver-haired boy tried to not be intimidated by his uncle's probing stare. If he knew, he would never approve of their actions.

"…Nothing wrong with that, of course. The question is… why do you make so many trips to and from the electronics department?"

Just as Ryotaro asked that in an interrogation-like tone, Nanako approached him. "Daaaad…"

The man tried to explain himself. "Oh, er, this isn't what you think. I'm not interrogating him…"

The little girl started to complain a little. "It's not fair. You're always talking with big bro."

"What…?" Ryotaro didn’t expect that.

"I mean… today, you're home, but…"

"…I always talk with you."

"When is always?"

This took Yu's uncle by surprise.

"I… I wanna… talk… " Nanako rubbed her eyes sleepily as she said that. Ryotaro sighed. "It's bedtime for you already. Go to sleep. I'll play with you… nest time."

"…You promised." Nanako then went up to her room reluctantly. The detective looked down at the floor, thinking of what his daughter just said. "'When is always', huh…?"

Yu was a bit confused at the exchange that just happened. "Why not play with her, uncle?"

His uncle just sighed, grimacing. "…I'm busy." He was quiet for a few moments before he continued to speak. "Truth it, I mostly left raising her up to my wife… her mother…" He then looked at his nephew. "So… I don't really know how to approach her." Upon those words, he looked away again. "Plus… I'm not fit to be her family…"

The silver-haired boy frowned a bit. "…Fit or not, you're still family." At the very least, his uncle was trying… unlike his own parents.

Ryotaro nodded wordlessly. "…Maybe you're right." He was smiling wryly. Eventually, he looked back at Yu once more. "You think just being related by blood makes you 'family'? …That's not the case…"

"Uncle…" Yu felt like he was starting to grasp the worries his uncle carried inside himself… because of it, their relationship grew a bit deeper with the _Hierophant Social Link_.

"Oh… sorry. You didn't need to hear about that…" The detective apologised quietly. "Get some sleep. 'Night."

"…Goodnight." The silver-haired boy got up and went to his room. He did understand the worries his uncle had… that's how he felt with his parents. They were barely there for most of his life, just busy working everyday… he can hardly remember the last time they even spent a proper time together.

Now, it felt like his uncle and cousin were a much better family compared to his own parents.


	12. More Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone new is taken to the foggy world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, we see the formation of another bond... and while our Yui is at it, another victim goes missing... well, I think you know who I mean by now. And finally! He's going to be a part of this story after... eleven chapters? Yeah, eleven chapters. Oh well. On with the chapter!

The next day, Yu felt like checking out the notice board in the central shopping district to see if there were any other part-time jobs he could take. So right after school finished, he went out to do just that. The notice board soon came into view, and he got closer to he could take a look.

Again, the same few jobs were there… though a few grabbed his attention, such as the translator job and the assistant day care caretaker job. The translator job shouldn't be too hard as he had a good basic for English and some other languages… and he was a bit interested at the latter one, in fact.

Taking out his phone, he called the people whose phone numbers were written for the two jobs to tell them that he's taking the job. Once that was done, he guessed that he could start his first day as a care taker… he'll have to take the bus, then.

So, off he went.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After getting ready for his work, Yu was introduced to the other children as an assistant caretaker. The children were extremely interested in him…

"Mister, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Don't ask him that, you creep!"

"Let's play tag, Mister! You're it!"

The silver-haired boy looked around, slightly overwhelmed by the chaotic scene of children running around.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Somehow, Yu managed to survive the children tugging at him in every direction until all of them were taken back home by their parents… except for one kid. It was a boy… it seemed that his guardian hasn't come to pick him up.

The day care supervisor approached him. "How are things, Yu-kun? Has everyone been picked up?" She noticed the boy. "Looks like Yuuta-kun is still here. It's always like this, though…"

A moment later, a woman showed up for the boy. "…Hi, Yuu-kun. I'm sorry I'm late…"

The boy huffed. "…Whatever." Then he ran off. The brunette woman looked at the teenager, a bit curious. "Are you… one of the supervisors?"

"Not exactly… I'm just an assistant, ma'am," Yu answered, shaking his head.

"I see… I'm sure Yuu-kun will cause you trouble, but please take care of him…" The woman soon left after that. The day care supervisor then began to gossip to Yu. "Yuuta Minami… he's full of energy during his play sessions… maybe too much energy. But once she arrives, he's a totally different kid… she's his stepmother, so I guess it can't be helped."

"Stepmother?" Yu looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"…Yuuta-kun's father got remarried to that woman you just met. I heard she's from the city… I really don't know what she's thinking. Perhaps that's why Yuuta-kun is a troublemaker at school, too… the other day, he…"

At that point, Yu didn't bother to listen to it. It wasn't proper to gossip about someone from behind their back.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That evening, the news was a bit different than the usual ones. It spoke about biker gangs… and Yu soon realised that this was what he had heard with the others back in class. The report grew intense at a supposed attack when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew.

A teenage boy with blonde hair, a familiar looking school jacket on his shoulders and a black shirt with a skull logo on it appeared on the screen, the only thing being blurred was his eyes while his voice was distorted slightly. It was pretty bad, though… most people could probably recognize him if they knew the guy.

" _The hell are you punks doing here!?_ "

Ryotaro lowered his newspaper, looking at the screen. "That voice…"

" _This ain't a show! Get bent!_ "

The detective sighed. "Still up to the same old tricks…?"

Nanako looked at her father. "Do you know him, Dad?"

"Mmm, well, I know him through work. His name's Kanji Tatsumi… he's quite a handful. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school. But I thought he got into a high school and started attending class…"

"Huh."

"Man, that blur sure is pointless. It's completely obvious who it is. The guy's family runs a historic textile shop. I think what happened was, he crushed the local bikers all by himself because the noise kept his mother up at night. It's a nice gesture, but he's way too violent… at this rate, his mother'll have to apologize again."

The special report soon ended, and the weather report began.

Nanako noticed that it was going to rain tomorrow. "Oh, the weather report's showing on the bottom. It's going to rain tomorrow. I'll make sure to hang the laundry inside the house."

"Hm." Yu looked at the weather report with slight worry. Will the Midnight Channel be on again…? He'll have to see tomorrow.

* * *

 

As expected from the weather report, by the time school ended it was already raining.

Chie was looking out the window. "Whoa, it started raining… I guess the weather report was right." She went back to the group. "That means the show's probably gonna be on tonight," Yosuke guessed. Yukiko was a bit worried about what they might see on it. "I hope we don't see anyone…"

"Yeah, that'd be the best. But if we do, maybe we'll see some kinda clue that can point us toward the killer…"

"Well everyone, don't forget to check your TV tonight! Got it?" Chie told them all, and the others nodded in response. Seems that tonight will be another rainy night… Yu can only wonder what he will see on the Midnight Channel tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui waited in her room after she had dinner with her uncle and cousin. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was about to strike midnight… she then got up and stood in front of the TV. A few seconds later, it came to life.

…A figure appeared through the static. It seemed to be a man, looking like a high schooler… she couldn't tell who it was, though. When the Midnight Channel ended, she quickly took out her phone and called Yosuke. When it was answered, she spoke in a lower voice. "Yosuke, did you see that?"

 _"Oh, it's you! I was just about to call your cell!_ _So, what do you think? That was a guy, wasn't it?"_

"Yeah, it was… it was too hazy to see him, though."

_"I wish I could tell what he looked like… let's get together and talk more about it tomorrow!"_

"Right. See you tomorrow." Yui then ended the call, holding her head as she wracked her mind to try and recall where she had seen that person from. No matter how hard she tried though, she just couldn't place a finger on it.

Sighing, she just shook her head. She'll ask the others tomorrow.

* * *

 

The four of them met up at Junes that Sunday morning, sitting at their usual spot and table.

"Ahem, we will now hold a meeting on our investigation of the serial kidnapping-slash-murder case here in Inaba." Yosuke started off, nearly running out of breath trying to say that single sentence alone. "Dude, take a breath!" Chie told him.

Yukiko noticed what the brunette boy just said. "Oh, then does this make this place our special headquarters?"

With a grin, Yosuke nodded. "Yes! Exactly! Nicely put, Yukiko."

"Special Headquarters… hmm, it does have a nice ring to it…" Chie smiled at the idea too as she thought about it. Although it was strange to have a food court as their headquarters, it worked anyway.

"Anyways, as for what was on last night…"

"Did you guys see who the guy was?" Yu asked the three of them. Chie perked up at that. "I saw it too! I couldn't get a good view of the person's face, but it was a guy, wasn't it?" she asked. The silver-haired boy nodded. "It was. The guy looked like a high schooler, though."

It was Yukiko's first time seeing the Midnight Channel too. "So that's how I looked on TV…" She then recalled something. "Hm? Wait a moment. Didn't all the victims have one thing in common? That they were females with ties to the first incident?"

Yosuke scratched his head. "That's what we thought… but we still don't know who exactly we saw."

"In my case, the image on the Midnight Channel changed after I was kidnapped, right?"

"Yeah, the screen got clear all of a sudden and the program looked like some low-budget TV show. Come to think of it, maybe Teddie was right… maybe we were seeing the other Yukiko from that world. But last night, we couldn't clearly see whoever it was. Could that mean… he isn't inside the TV yet? If so, then…"

"He's still safe for now." Yu realised that too. They still have a chance.

The black-haired girl nodded in agreement. "Uh-huh, I think that's safe to assume. If we can figure out who he is, can we prevent him from being taken?"

"Yeah… and if all goes well, we might catch the killer in the bargain." Yosuke sighed. "But to do that, we need to know who the latest Midnight Channel star is… I hate to say it, but I guess we'll have to wait another night and see what happens."

Chie cleared her throat. "Ahehem... well, that means if my deductions are correct… though the image was hard to make out, and we can't say for sure who it was, it was definitely a young male. But if that's the case, it goes entirely against our prior assumptions… since we cannot identify the person at this time, we have no choice but to wait and see what happens!"

…That was the exact same conclusion the other three had come to, though.

"That's exactly what we just said," Yosuke told her frankly.

"Shut up!"

Yukiko began to laugh. It was nice to see her acting normal again, but man did her laughing fits can last long. "Heehee, aha, ahahahahaha! You're so funny, Chie! Ahahaha, oh no! M-My funny bone…!"

Chie just groaned. "Not again…"

"S-Sorry, heeheehee!"

Yosuke sheepishly smiled. "This is how Yukiko really is, huh… who'd have thought?"

Chie then looked at the brunette boy. "By the way, about that guy we saw? I get the feeling I've seen him before… pretty recently, too…"

"Oh, you too? Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing since last night… well, let's check the TV again tonight and think about it more tomorrow."

"Heehee…!" Yukiko was still laughing… Chie glared at her best friend. "Grrr, when are you gonna stop that, you crazy hyena!?" Her words just made the black-haired girl laugh even more. "Ahahaha! That's a good one, Chie!"

Yu chuckled at the sight. Well, guess he'll have to check the Midnight Channel again tonight…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once again, Yui waited in her room for midnight to strike, sitting on the sofa while she did so. Once it was about time for the Midnight Channel to start, she got up and stood in front of the TV, staring into the black screen that showed her slightly dim reflection.

Soon, that was replaced by the dim glow of the Midnight Channel coming to life on the TV.

This time, she could see the figure on the screen a bit better, though it was still unfocused… Yui had a gut feeling that she had seen him before. When the Midnight Channel ended a few moments later, she got a call from someone.

Answering it, she placed her cell to her ear. "Hello?"

_"Did you see that?"_

It was Yosuke. Yui thought about it a bit more and came to a single conclusion – the man on the Midnight Channel was that guy from the news, Kanji Tatsumi. "I did… I think it might be Kanji Tatsumi."

_"Yeah, I think so too. I knew I saw him somewhere! It was on TV! He was on that special news report! He's one scary dude. He was even yelling at the camera to 'Get bent!'…  Alright, so we finally have a lead. Let's all get together tomorrow, okay?"_

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

_"…Oh, I almost forgot… it's kinda off-subject, but as long as you're on the line, mind if I ask something? It's something I've been meaning to ask for a while."_

"What is it, Yosuke?"

_"Well… what do you think about Yukiko and Chie? I mean, let's not mince words: Which one's your type?"_

Yui blinked, dumbfounded at the question. Did he just put her on the spot like that? Well, her answer was damn obvious since she's not a guy with normal likings towards girls. "Neither."

_"Hahaha! Kinda harsh, don'tcha think? Well, I kinda understand. They're great girls, but you saw their ugly sides right off, and I guess your first impression is the one that sticks. Hey, but don't worry. This is just between you and me."_

"You better." Yui would be quite screwed if those two learned how she thought about them.

_"Dude, I promise! Okay, see you tomorrow."_

"Bye, Yosuke." The silver-haired girl ended the call there, rolling her eyes at the question. She hoped that she didn't have to deal with something like that again… acting as a guy was hard enough when romance is added to the mix. While she was a loner back in her previous schools, some girls did end up having a crush on her… and rejecting them was tough as it was harsh.

That was an experience she genuinely wishes would never happen again.

* * *

 

The next day, they continued to talk about what they had seen last night after school ended.

"The one who was on last night… it's THAT guy, right…?" Chie said, looking nervous. "Kanji Tatsumi, huh? He definitely didn't look like the social type," Yosuke commented, crossing his arms.

"Now there's an understatement. Isn't he really scary? Did you see the news special the other day?"

"Yeah, I saw it."

"You mean the special on biker gangs? I watched it too. He wasn't like that when he was younger, though…" Yukiko told them. Chie was surprised to know that. "You know him, Yukiko?"

"Uh-huh, but we haven't talked to each other in a long time. His family runs a textile shop, and we've been a customer of theirs for many years. So I speak with Kanji-kun's mother from time to time." Yukiko then smiled as an idea came to her. "Oh, why don't we go there now? We might be able to talk to him in person."

"Sounds good. At the very least, we can ask if anything strange has come up lately. I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley, but I'm pretty sure he won't fly off the handle in his family's store."

Yosuke nodded. "Alright, then let's get going."

"If things get rough, we're counting on you guys!" Chie grinned at both Yosuke and Yu who then looked troubled at that. Did she really just say that? The last thing they both wanted was to get into a fight with some delinquent boy… at that thought, Yu felt somewhat like a hypocrite.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the group arrived at the textile shop, they noticed that Kanji's mother was talking to another guy. He was dressed quite formally, his outfit mostly in a dark blue colour… but he's surprisingly short for being a guy - like Yu.

Yukiko greeted the older lady, nonetheless. "Hello."

The shop owner smiled at seeing her. "Ah, Yuki-chan. It's so nice to see you."

The slender young man looked at the shop owner and nodded. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, ma'am."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help more."

"It's all right; you've given me plenty to think about. Thank you." The young man then left, leaving the group in confusion. "What's up with him…? Weirdo." Yosuke raised an eyebrow at the strange guy. Chie shrugged, just as confused. "I 'unno. Never seen him before."

Mrs. Tatsumi began to talk to Yukiko. "Yuki-chan, you're as lovely as always. Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young. How can I help you today? Are you out shopping with your friends?"

"Oh, um… well, actually…" Yukiko was about to ask about Kanji when Chie noticed something. "Hey, this scarf… I've seen this somewhere before…"

Yu and Yosuke glanced over at what the brunette girl saw, and they both recognized it too. "Hm? Huh, you're right. Where was that…?" Yosuke tried to remember, but it was Chie who eventually realised where they saw it before. "Oh! It was that place! Inside the TV!"

"That's right! That room with those faceless posters… then… it's that announcer's…" Memories of that time caused him to trail off. Mrs. Tatsumi noticed that they knew the announcer. "Are you acquaintances of Ms. Yamamo?" she asked them.

"Uh, well, kinda… um… did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?"

"Yes, it was a special order she placed. She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately."

Chie groaned. "Oh man… there IS a connection to the first case…! What are we gonna do…?"

Yosuke looked at her uncertainly. "H-How should I know…?"

Just then a delivery came, and Mrs. Tatsumi had to leave. "Oh, I'll be right there. I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me."

Chie nodded. "Oh, it's okay. We should get going."

Yukiko also bowed to the older woman. "I'll come again, ma'am."

Kanji's mother smiled. "Is that so? Well, then please say hello to your mother for me." She then got up and went to receive the delivery, leaving the group outside. Yosuke sighed, crossing his arms again. "It really is connected to the first case after all… but it's just a scarf. Would the killer target someone just because of that…? Dammit, what's going on…? C'mon, let's talk outside."

So the group left the shop…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Right outside though, they saw the one person they had been trying to look for since the afternoon.

"Huh…? It's Kanji-kun." Yukiko noticed first. At that realisation, Yosuke ran over to a corner. "Wha-- quick, hide!"

The other three followed suit, seeing Kanji talking with that strange guy from earlier. Chie wasn't too comfortable with the situation they were in. "You're not fooling anyone, you know…" she whispered. Yosuke shook his head at her. "Shhh! I can't hear what they're saying!"

They all tried to eavesdrop on Kanji's conversation with the boy…

"T-Tomorrow's fine with me… huh? S-School? 'Course I'm going to school…" Kanji spoke somewhat… nervously. The smaller boy nodded. "Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow." He then left, leaving the blonde boy alone.

Kanji scratched the back of his head. "D-Did he was he was interested…? He's a guy… and I'm a guy… but… he's interested in me…?" He turned around and soon noticed the group in the corner there. "Huh? What the hell are you pricks looking at?!"

Crap.

In an instant, the four of them ran away from the scene like birds flocking away.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They were all breathing heavily after running away like that.

"That scared the hell out of me… he's even worse in person than on TV…" Chie murmured, panting. "The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said, confirming their thoughts on who the mystery figure on the Midnight Channel was.

Yosuke nodded, getting his breath back after a few moments. "Yeah… and I just realized something. Remember the common points we were talking about? His mom fits the pattern. She's a woman, and she knew Ms. Yamano. But it was her son who appeared on TV… so what does that mean?"

"Kanji's still a target, that's obvious…" Yu spoke up, breathing deeply. He hasn't ran around that much in a while…

"Yeah, that's what it seemed like, based on the TV image… but his mother fits the pattern more than he does."

Yukiko then thought of something. "Oh… Maybe it's similar to my case. If you think about it, my mother fit the victim profile more than I did. She was the one who dealt directly with Ms. Yamano… but I was the one who was targeted."

Chie just grew confused now. "Does that mean it'll be the kid again, instead of the mother? But if that's true, then the killer's motive makes no sense at all. It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge or anything."

…She's right. Then what was the killer's motive…?

Yosuke crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "Y'think we're on the wrong track…? Maybe even the first case had nothing to do with grudges or revenge… or is there some kinda secret in the textile shop itself…? Argh! I'm totally lost!" He shook his head, frustrated. He couldn't think of a single thing…

Yukiko sighed. "But we can't ignore this."

"Hmmm… Why don't we just go ahead and ask Kanji himself?" Chie suggested despite what she just said earlier. "We could at least see if anything odd's happened lately. He scares the wits out of me, but…"

"That might be the only thing we can do…" Yu muttered, straightening himself once he got his breath back. They didn't have much choices left, what else the chance that they could fail to stop the killer grows ever higher the more time they waste.

Something soon crossed Yosuke's mind. "Hey, wasn't Kanji making plans with that weird kid a moment ago? Something about meeting up at school. I heard he's been skipping school ever since the new year started… doesn't that see a little suspicious?"

"…Yeah, something did seem weird." Chie noticed that too, her eyes widening. "Yeah, it's suspicious all right. There's something funny going on here… I can sense it."

Yosuke looked at her somewhat in disdain. "'Sense'? You sound like Teddie… still, we might find some clues." He then nodded, making up his mind. "Alright… let's try staking out both Kanji and his family's store. We definitely don't want the killer getting ahead of us." He glanced at Yukiko. "That being said… Yukiko, can I have your cell number?"

Chie glared at him the moment he said those words. "Hey… was this your plan all along?"

"Uh, no? I got everybody's number except for hers. And the Y section of my address book needs some filling out."

The brunette girl sighed. "While we're on the subject, could you stop calling me at night just to tell dirty jokes? You really sound like a pervert."

"H-Hey! I'm trying to have a conversation with Yukiko here!"

Yukiko had been silent this whole time. "…Oh, that reminds me… I need to buy tofu on my way home." Her words had dumbfounded Yosuke into silence. "…Whoa… she didn't hear a word I said…"

Chie ignored him and looked at Yu. "Okay then, the stakeout is set for tomorrow." She was starting to look excited for some reason. "Hmm… stakeouts… tailing people… whoo, I'm getting goosebumps!"

"Hah…" Yu looked at her with a troubled smile. This could go pretty damn wrong in an instant… but they still had to do it anyway. Tomorrow, they'll be staking out Kanji and the textile shop – hopefully it'll go much better than today's little mission did.

* * *

 

The next day, they all waited at the school gates after school ended for Kanji to arrive. They looked like an odd bunch, if Yu could see himself with them.

"Has the target arrived at school?!" Chie began to speak as if she was a secret agent on a stakeout like in the movies. Yosuke acted just the same. "Yes, Ma'am! Visual ID confirmed! Target arrived in-zone near the end of his mess break, with mother-issued rations in hand. Current status: In the bathroom, fixing his hair. The target was acting nervous. I left my position before he had a chance to pick on me!"

"I wonder what kind of plans they made... it didn't seem like he knew that boy very well…" Yukiko wondered about that. "Who knows… we'll have to see," Yu told her in a murmur. Chie glanced at them both. "Well, I think there's something more subtle-- oh, he's here!"

Right then and there, both Kanji and the slender young man showed up. Yu noticed that the latter came from outside the school.

"I didn't keep you waiting, I hope?" The smaller boy asked. Kanji shook his head. "No, I-I just got here too..."

The two boys then headed towards the flood plains, unaware that there were some others eavesdropping on them. Yosuke was getting weirded out even at that small exchange. "Wh-What in the world was that...?"

Chie realised that they were losing the pair, though. "Oh, a-anyways! We gotta hurry after them, or we'll lose them!"

"Okay... then let's split up into two groups. One team will follow Kanji, and the other will stake out the shop."

"R-Roger that! How should we split the teams?"

"I'm going with Yukiko." Like hell Yu was going with them after witnessing all that mission impossible crap from the two brunettes. This was a serious thing and they're just… ugh. Somehow, he managed to keep a serious look as he thought of that…

Chie nodded anyway. "Sure... that's fine with me." She looked back at Kanji and the formally dressed boy and saw that they were getting farther away. "Oh man, they're almost out of sight! C'mon, Yosuke!"

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "So, I'm pairing up with Chie...? Eh, okay. Alright! We'll need to pretend we're on a date to make it look natural!"

"Not in a million years! There'll be no need for that if we stay out of sight. Sheesh... let's hurry up and go!" The two brunettes then ran off.

Yu and Yukiko looked at them both with worry. "I wonder if those two will be alright..." The black-haired girl murmured. She looked at Yu and snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh... u-um, that leaves us in charge of staking out the textile shop. So... shall we?"

"Yeah, let's go." Yu nodded in response. The two of them then left for the shopping district…

~*~*~*~*~*~

…Staking out textile shops were pretty boring, apparently.

Yukiko had went to get them both some drinks, having returned with two. "Sorry about the wait… this one's for you." She gave Yu one of the drinks. "Everything seems fine at the shop. I hope it stays that way... do you think the culprit will come...?"

It was still a possibility. Yu nodded, feeling confident about it. "I'm sure of it. He'll come."

"Then we need to keep our eyes open. It would be scary if the culprit did show up... but if they do, I'll do what I can to help you catch them. You all saved my life... I don't want to be the only one doing nothing. I mean... I'm sure there's something I can do..."

"Yukiko…" Yu looked at her with concern. "You're already helping a lot by doing this, you know."

"Oh, sorry. I went on and on without realizing... I-I guess I'm a little nervous. I've never chatted with a boy my age like this before... Chie, of course, has no problem getting along with guys because of her personality... but I think she's had more fun hanging out with you and Yosuke lately." Yukiko blushed a bit. "...The same is true for me."

While Yu felt a bit nervous at those words, he could sense Yukiko's gratitude and affection for him… in turn, more whispers spoke in his head about the formation of the _Priestess Social Link_ of the _Priestess Arcana_. It's funny… everyone actually became stronger for facing their shadows.

He's still here with his own problems, having never faced one to get his Persona.

Well, he's somewhat grateful for it. No one has to see his faults if it meant he can still remain friends with them…

…Oh, and he hasn't gotten her contact information too. "Hey Yukiko, mind if I ask for your cell number? It's for the investigation."

"Oh, you're right. We'll need to contact each other if anything happens." Yukiko nodded, so they both took out their phones and exchanged cell numbers with each other. In the meanwhile, nothing much has happened… so they just chatted about other stuff.

Yu wondered what happened with Yosuke and Chie, though.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a while, Chie and Yosuke did arrived… only to inform them that their 'mission' failed. They did tell Yu and Yukiko on what happened, and the events that happened during that time made the silver-haired boy glad he chose to stake out the shop with Yukiko.

"Well... let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home," Yukiko told them. Yosuke sighed. "Yeah..."

"Huh...? What're you guys doing here?" Behind the group was the guy himself. Kanji stood there with narrowed eyes. "You're those stupid lovebirds I just saw!"

"We are not a couple!" Chie yelled at him.

"Why are you assholes followin' me around!? Dammit, what the hell's going on!?" The blonde boy sighed in frustration. "I ain't sayin' this is you guys' fault... but... dammit...! Argh…"

Yosuke glanced at Yu, who nodded. He should try asking him. So, the brunette boy spoke up. "Hey, uh... mind if we ask something? Has anything strange happened to you lately?"

Somehow, the word 'strange' incited a different reaction from Kanji. "Huh? Strange…? What's this 'strange' stuff, huh!? Are you saying that I'm strange!?"

"Huh? N-No, I didn't mean--!"

"You shitheads better get the hell out of my face, or I'm taking you down!"

"Wha--!? Wait, why!?"

"I look like I'm joking!?"

At that threat, the group quickly ran away from the blonde boy as fast they could…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The whole group was tired after all that, especially Chie and Yosuke who had to run away from Kanji earlier that day.

"Urgh… too much running…" Chie panted heavily, her hands on her knees to keep herself up. Yosuke wiped the sweat from his brow, panting too. "Well, nothing happened today, so I guess everything's okay... but it's already been a few days since he appeared on the Midnight Channel. If this is anything like Yukiko's case, it'll happen soon."

"Then we can't let our guard down... I think we should come back tomorrow to check up on him," Yukiko suggested. Chie could only sigh. "Looks like we've got no choice... let's go home. I'm wiped..."

Tonight, it might rain again… at least they could keep checking the Midnight Channel.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yui waited for midnight for the third time this night, her phone suddenly rang. "Huh." She took out her cell phone and answered the call. "Hello, this is Yu Narukami speaking."

_"Oh, hello? It's Yukiko. I-I'm sorry to call so late. Um, Kanji-kun seems to be missing! I had some calls to make for the inn, so I called the textile shop as well. When I spoke to Kanji-kun's mother... she told me that he left the house and hasn't returned since. She did say that this happens all the time, but... what do you think?"_

That's… not good. Yui bit her lip in worry. "This sounds bad…"

 _"I think so, too. He could be..."_ Yukiko's voice fell silent for a moment. _"It's going to rain again tonight. Maybe the Midnight Channel will come on. Then we'll know for sure if something happened to Kanji-kun or not. I'll make sure to check out the TV at midnight... talk to you later."_

"Right. Bye…" Yui soon heard a beeping tone as Yukiko hung up. She took a quick glance at the clock and saw that it was about to strike midnight. Holding her phone tightly in her hand, she faced the TV and stared into the screen.

To her dismay, the Midnight Channel came to life with a clear and sharp image this time.

Suddenly, a boy appeared on the screen. He was nearly naked, except for a white fundoshi to cover his… well, _that_. She's not going to think further about it. " ** _Hel-LO, dear viewers… it's time for 'Bad, Bad Bathhouse'! Tonight, I'll introduce a superb site for those searching for sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes! I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, serving you this scandalously special sneak-in report!_** "

Yui covered her mouth, not even sure of how to react. God, this is getting weird.

" ** _Goodness gracious, just imagine the things that might happen to me there! Ooooh! Well then, let's get this show on the road! Tootaloo!_** " The boy then ran off to a doorway in the strangest way possible, leaving the silver-haired girl in utter silence as the Midnight Channel ended.

…That was unmistakably Kanji.

Before she could do a thing, the phone in her hand rang again. She answered it… and Yosuke's voice poured through the receiver.

 _"H-h-hey! What the—I mean--?!"_ He was way too flustered to get his point across.

Yui sighed. "It really was Kanji…"

 _"Huh? O-Oh yeah, you're right! What in the world was that...? But... dammit, it's just what we were afraid of… if only we'd held our ground and stayed there a little longer..."_ A sigh could be heard from the other end. _"In any case, that place that was behind him... what do you think it is? A 'superb site for those searching for sublime love'? I just don't get it! Anyways... we'd better hurry and come up with a plan tomorrow!"_

"See you tomorrow, then," Yui told him and got the same reply back before the call ended. Sighing, she held her phone to her chest as she shook her head. Another person now stuck in the TV world… Kanji Tatsumi…

Whatever their plan will be, they must save him before the next fog falls over Inaba… or else, it'll be too late.


	13. Searching for Clues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team searches for clues, and gains access to strange place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter... and this time, we finally enter the Steamy Bathhouse! That actually sounds weird to say. Too bad my mind's a bit blank as I've gone and caught myself a cold and a mini-fever, but nothing a computer addict such as me can handle! Bwahahaha-
> 
> ...Anyway, on with the chapter then.

Yu met up with his friends at school, but they weren't able to probably talk about Kanji's kidnapping until school ended. They all had glum faces at the single fact that now revolved in their minds – they failed to save him from the killer.

Yosuke sighed. "Given the pattern so far, Kanji's already inside the TV..."

"I wonder what the Midnight Channel really is..." Yukiko murmured, looking thoughtful.

"Hmm..."

"At first, I thought it was one of those 'paranormal' things, but when I gave it a try... it was real. Turns out it's actually connected to another world..." Chie admitted.

"If there's a rumour going around, that means a bunch of people are watching it."

"How did the rumour go...? If you stare into a turned-off TV on a rainy night..." Yukiko asked them. Yosuke began wondering about it too. "No one in their right mind would try something that ridiculous, don'tcha think? Unless someone urged them to. But if you actually try, it does work. And not just once. If this rumour spreads and everyone starts watching the Midnight Channel..."

Chie's eyes widened. "It could cause a huge panic..."

"If Teddie is right, the missing people themselves create the stuff we see. So it's not random. It's specifically related to whoever goes missing."

The brunette girl sighed this time. "Yukiko had a show too, but she doesn't remember doing anything like that."

Yukiko spoke up. "Um, this might be a little off subject, but... the culprit is probably watching the shows that come on... right?"

"No doubt. He's probably sitting back and enjoying-- wait a sec... I bet he IS enjoying it! He's probably laughing his head off watching the 'show' that comes on after he throws people into the TV!"

Yosuke scratched his head. It was starting to make sense again. "Ahhh, I get it. Yeah, it's definitely possible. Ugh... now when I think of the killer, I get this image of a total sicko! 'I wanna see everything about you, Yuki-chan!'"

"Urgh, ugh, ugh!" Chie stomped the floor. It infuriated her to think of some pervert guy doing all this. However, she soon realised something. "Wait, so if people saw Yukiko's show, do you think people were watching what happened to me too!? Oh, that is IT! That killer is dead meat! I'm gonna leave footprints all over his face!"

With a fiery spirit, she looked at the others. "Guys! First we save Kanji! Then, we crush the killer! Finally, we crush the killer and send him to hell!! Got it!?"

Everyone else nodded, their resolve strengthened to save Kanji from the TV world. Along with it, they grew stronger as a team… and Yu could feel the _Fool Social Link_ become stronger as well. What broke the inspiring moment was Yukiko's snickering. "Heehee... Ch-Chie, those last two were the same thing..."

"Uh... I know..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later, they went into the TV world to meet up with Teddie.

"Hey Teddie, someone's here, right?" Yosuke asked him. The bear was facing away from them as he spoke. "Oh... yep. I think someone's here."

"You think...? Do you know where he is?" Chie then asked.

"I dunno."

"We think it's a boy named Kanji..." Yukiko added.

"I dunno..."

Chie frowned. Something's not right. "What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

Finally, Teddie turned around to face them. "Well, I sniff and I sniff. But I still can't tell where the smell comes from," he told them, looking troubled. Yosuke sighed. "Aren't you thinking too much about too many things? I mean last time, you were wondering about who you really are and how long you've been here. Your head's empty to begin with, dude. Don't stress out over stuff too much."

"…You're right..."

Chie blinked in surprise. "Whoa... he's seriously down about this..."

Now this brought on some new problems. Yosuke rubbed his head. "If you can't figure out where Kanji is, we're in deep trouble. We can't just wander around aimlessly in a place like this..."

Suddenly, Teddie perked up. "I know what might help! You should give me a clue about this Kanji person! It's just a feeling I have. I think I could concentrate better with it. Do you have anything that could give me a good understanding of him?"

"Something about Kanji, huh…? I can't really think of anything besides all the rumours about him."

"Yeah, it's not like we know him that well…" Chie added. They knew nothing of important about him. " I just need some sort of hint... something that tells me what he's really like," Teddie then told them. If a hint is enough, then…

"Why don't we ask around and find people who know Kanji-kun personally?" Yukiko suggested. "We can do that," Yu agreed to it. "We should split up while we're at it – we can ask around faster that way."

Everyone agreed to the idea, and so they left the TV world to start asking around.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu had an idea of who to ask, heading towards the central shopping district to start off. Going towards the north section of the shopping district, he noticed that Kanji's mother was standing in front of her textile shop. "Excuse me, ma'am…"

Mrs. Tatsumi smiled at the silver-haired boy. "Ah, are you here to ask about Kanji too? Sheesh, I wonder where he's wandered off to now. He's always like this." She shook her head, looking troubled. "You know, there was a small boy who came asking about him not too long ago. I talked to him too, but I haven't seen him around lately."

"Really…?" Yu thought about that for a moment. A boy who talked to Kanji… is it that young man from the day before? Maybe… if it really was him, and he was with Kanji, he might know something. So, Yu began to look for the boy this time.

As he asked around the people in the shopping district, they had told him that they saw him around Junes. He headed there, hoping to see a familiar face.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the lobby of Junes, Yu asked one of the customers that gave him the answers he needed.

"Ah, you're looking for a small boy wearing a hat? Ah yes, I've seen him. He's been hanging around here lately. Even asked me all this stuff about that... incident. He was just over there a little while ago, but... Maybe he'll be back tomorrow...?"

"Oh, thank you." The silver-haired boy guessed that he'll have to come back here tomorrow to see if the boy was here again. In the meantime, Daisuke had told him that there was soccer practice today… he might as well attend.

Though, there was something nagging Yu about that boy… he doubted it, but… who knows?

~*~*~*~*~*~

After soccer practice had finished, all members of the soccer team gathered as the physical exercise teacher called them.

"Alright, is this everyone? Good news, boys, you're getting a team manager," The teacher told them. "Now you guys won't have to take turns doing all the work anymore. You can thank me later!" He glanced at the female student next to him. "Go on, introduce yourself."

The girl looked back at the teacher before focusing back on the players. "…Ai Ebihara."

Instantaneously, she could see the looks of awe and attraction on some of the other players' faces. She could only remain silent at that. The teacher just smiled. "Great! You can take it from here. I'm going home!" He turned around to leave… and once he was a distance away, most of the members approached her except for Yu and Daisuke.

Ai frowned at the ones who did. "I'm gonna tell you guys straight up, I'm not lifting a finger for this team. I wouldn't be caught dead watching out for a bunch of sweaty guys." Her words took the players aback. "What? Then why did you—"

"I've missed too many days of school. But they'll let me move up if I manage a team. But don't expect me to put any effort into it. For the most part, I'm not even gonna be here. Well, seeya. Or not." Harsh. Ai then left them all standing there.

The players stared at her as she left. They began to talk among each other. "What was that all about…?" "Oh well. I guess Ai-san won't be doing our laundry, huh?" "Tch, why are you showing her so much respect? She's the same age as us." "Dude, just left me fantasize about her in peace, alright?" "No way! Her?!"

Yu mentally sighed at the scene. As expected of boys…

One of the soccer players then looked at Daisuke. "Hey Daisuke, think you'd go for a chick like Ai-san?" They asked him, causing everyone to look at him – including Yu. Daisuke had the same look on his face as he answered, "Not in a million years."

"Really? I mean, yeah, she's got major issues, but don't you think she's kinda hot?"

"…Girls annoy me."

Yu tried to keep a straight face at that. The soccer players just continued to ask. "They do? How 'bout guys, then?" The group laughed. "Knock it off!"

Daisuke just looked more and more frustrated.

"Weren't you dating back in middle school, bro?"

This caught the brunette boy by surprise. He was quiet, not knowing how to response to that.

"Ohhh, I get it. You've got higher standards now, huh?" "Must be nice to be so popular that you can get any chick you want! Us 'normal' guys couldn't possibly understand…" With that, the group left, leaving Yu and Daisuke behind.

Daisuke glanced at the silver-haired boy. "Whatever… girls are a pain in the ass, right, Yu?"

Yu could only force himself to smile. He had to support his friend, even if he was lying to him about his gender. But in a way, he could see why Daisuke thought of girls like that. Most teenage girls these days can be pretty brutal. "…Right on."

The brunette smiled, laughing. "Yeah, you see where I'm comin' from?" His smile soon fell, however. "Girls don't even talk to me, but they're always coming up and asking me out. What do they know about me?" He fell silent after that.

Just then, Kou approached them both. "You guys done over here? Same thing as last time, right? A little overtime practice, and then we'll clean up. Let's do this!"

Daisuke looked at the black-haired boy. "Hm…" He then smiled. "Haha. Sure, let's do it."

The two of them were willing to help Yu train today too, even after all that Daisuke just went through a few moments ago… in a way, Yu could feel his relationship with them both grow stronger with the _Strength Social Link_.

After that, they went to go and practice.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm home…" Yu announced as he returned home, tired after all that training. Setting his bag down nearby, he took a seat at the dining table to rest his legs for a moment. Daisuke and Kou were really tough while helping him train… but it'll all be worth it one day.

After a while, he noticed that Nanako was pacing back and forth restlessly. "…What's wrong?"

She had a troubled look on her face. "Dad's late again today…"

However, the house phone soon rang. She went over to answer the call. "Hello, Dojima residence." Upon hearing who the caller was, she smiled. "Dad!" Listening some more, she was starting to smile brightly. "Huh… really?! Okay… okay, I understand." The call ended and she placed the phone back in its stand. She turned to face her cousin, beaming him with a smile. "Dad's coming home now. I need to get dinner ready."

She was definitely in high spirits… Yu couldn't help but smile back. "That's good."

Nanako then ran over to the fridge to check the food. She soon realised something, closing the fridge as she looked at the silver-haired boy. "We're out of pickled radish… dad'll be disappointed," she murmured dejectedly.

"…Well, I can go buy some real quick," Yu offered, getting up from his seat.

"But… he only likes the ones from Junes." An idea crossed Nanako's mind. "…Oh, then, I'll go too!" She seemed excited at the thought of going to Junes again, giggling. "We're going shopping together!"

Yu could feel his cousin's affection for him, and that his relationship with her has grown deeper… and as a result, the _Justice Social Link_ grew ever stronger too. Once all that ended, he chuckled and got up from his seat. "Alright, let's go then."

Nanako nodded, smiling brightly. "Let's go, big bro!!"

So the two of them went to Junes together, buying what they needed…

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a while, they both came back home to see Ryotaro sitting on the sofa.

"I'm back." Nanako announced as she and Yu entered. When she saw her father, she smiled brightly. "Dad! Welcome home!"

The detective didn't look too happy, though. "Where did you go at this time of night?"

"Oh, uhh… Junes…"

"Didn't I tell you not to go outside this late?"

Nanako tried to explain herself, her smile falling. "B-but, you were coming home… so I…"

Ryotaro shook his head. "No matter what your reason was, rules are rules. You promised me, remember?" he told her. The little girl hung her head in silence, looking sad. Yu felt his chest tighten up at the sight. "…it's not Nanako's fault, uncle." He spoke up, staring at his uncle.

"Big bro…" Nanako glanced at him, relief visible in her small face. "…It's not my fault? Then why is Dad angry…? Why won't he listen…?" She fell silent for a few moments. Soon however, she yelled out, "Dad's stupid…! Stupid, stupid!" Then she ran off, up to her room.

Ryotaro got up at the exclamation, his voice stern. "Nanako! How dare you call your father stupid!"

Yu stepped forward. "Uncle, please. It's not her fault… the reason we went to Junes was because she wanted to buy some more pickled radish from Junes for you. She told me it was your favourite and thought that you'll be disappointed to find out that we're out of that."

The man's face furrowed at that. "Pickled radish… for me…?" He sighed quietly. "…Is that so."

Silence fell between the two for a small while. Ryotaro eventually shook his head, still remaining stern. "But I still can't allow kids to be walking around this late at night. You know how dangerous it's been lately. You shouldn't be wandering around out there at night either!"

Yu bit the inside of his lip as he lowered his head. Now he was the one being yelled at… and he didn't miss the small hint in his uncle's tone that was meant to be aimed at him. When he was a delinquent, he did go out at night without his parents' permission… and his uncle didn't want that.

After a while of silence between the two, Yu slinked off to his room.

* * *

 

Yu was mostly alright by the time tomorrow rolled around. What he didn't expect was for a female student to run into the classroom during lunchtime to announce that the exam results were posted.

"Huh. Already?" The silver-haired boy was surprised at the quickness of it. City schools took way longer to even do that. Yosuke looked like he was going to pass out already. "Argh... the awful moment of truth..." He glanced at his friend. "Oh well. Wanna check it out?"

Yu shrugged, getting up. "Why not."

~*~*~*~*~*~

There was already a small crowd trying to look at their exam results, some seemingly acting like they just lost the world while a few more were rejoicing at their high marks. Yu hung back but still tried to take a glance anyway... but he was just too far away to see the small letters.

Chie and Yosuke's reactions to his score was what made him raise an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Yu-kun! You’re in the top ten!" Chie told him, eyes wide with awe. "Wow, nice! Good going, Yu! You're so smart..." Yosuke looked at his best friend admiringly. Yu blushed slightly as he sheepishly smiled. "It wasn't much…"

In some way, he felt closer to his school friends now…

~*~*~*~*~*~

When school ended, Yu was headed straight to Junes but paused in his steps when he saw Ai Ebihara standing in the hall where everyone's shoe boxes were. The look on her face… it somewhat reminded him of the face of a loner.

Something compelled him to approach her and ask if she would want to hang out with him sometimes.

"Huh? With you?" Ai stared at him intently before she let her gaze break, acting like a pompous girl. "…Whatever. You should skip your afternoon classes next time. We'll go somewhere far away."

"I'll… think about it." Yu nodded and went to leave the school. Skipping afternoon classes… he hasn't done that since his delinquent days. Most teachers really didn't bother to check attendance by that time so the troublemakers would always skip them when they wanted to. He was one of them, of course.

...It wouldn’t hurt to do it a few more times if it meant he could find out why Ai acted like this.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu hurried off to the lobby in Junes to see if the young man who met with Kanji would be around. To his luck, the young man was standing in a corner near the elevators. Approaching him, the silver-haired boy tried to think of something to say…

"…Is there something you need?" The young man looked at him. Yu's thoughts fell quiet as he found himself being talked to by the boy who was just about the same height as him, maybe a bit shorter by an inch or two.

The young man then looked out of the glass walls. "Many people from the town come and meet here. It's a very convenient location, isn't it...?"

Yu didn't have much time to waste, so he went straight to the point. "Er, I'm here to ask if there was anything strange when you talked with Kanji Tatsumi. The guy you spoke to a few days ago…?"

Silence fell between them both for a moment before the young man spoke up. "You're asking if anything seemed strange when I spoke to Kanji-kun, yes...? Hmm… very well. It seems to be an urgent matter, so I'll simply tell you. If you're asking about recent events, then yes, there was something out of the ordinary."

"What is that, then?" Yu raised an eyebrow.

"It was something I felt when I was with him... so I told him outright that he seemed to be an odd person. After I said that, his expression changed all of a sudden... I was quite surprised. On that basis, I believe his actions were somewhat forced and unnatural, throughout the time I was with him. He may have some sort of complex... though I have no proof of this. "

A complex… or something of that nature...? There was also Kanji's purported reaction to the phrase 'odd person'… hm. Yu wondered if this was enough of a clue for Teddie to go and find out where Kanji is. "Well, thank you for telling me. Excuse me, please."

Considering that it was a little too late to head into the TV today, he guessed that he should go and join band practice with Ayane for today.

As he left, the young man studied him quietly. "…He looks… surprisingly feminine…" he muttered to himself. If they met again, he may have to observe the silver-haired boy's appearance a bit more.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at school, it was just Yu and Ayane left in the music room once more after practice ended.

"Oh, look at the time. They're about to lock up the school…" Ayane murmured as she glanced at the clock. She sighed quietly. "Shoot… I still can't play the part I was messing up last time…"

"Well, can you practice at home?" Yu asked her. That should help her get some more practice in… unless there was something else?

"…I wish I could, but… my house isn't very insulated. Our neighbours complain about the noise." Ayane then thought about something. "It'd be nice to be able to play outside, but I'd embarrass myself if I went alone…"

The silver-haired boy smiled at that idea. It's no trouble for him to accompany her. "Follow me, then. I know a spot where we can practice together."

Ayane's face brightened up. "Huh…? O-okay! Um, th-thank you very much!"

Without further ado, they both headed out of the school to practice at the flood plains.

~*~*~*~*~*~

While they practiced there, Ayane kept making mistakes in her playing and was constantly playing the wrong notes… the two of them had to stop playing. The small girl sighed. "I-I'm sorry…" When she saw that Yu had stopped too, she felt troubled. "Oh… I'm distracting you from your own practice, aren't I…"

"Hey, just hang in there," Yu told her with a calming smile. "No one's perfect in what they do, but with diligence and constant practice, they get over their mistakes. You can do that too, Ayane."

"Oh… so I shouldn't give up, then…!" Ayane was inspired by her Senpai's words, now seemingly more energetic to practice. She smiled at the silver-haired boy, having gained some more self-confidence. "I really appreciate you practicing with me. It makes me happy." She blushed shyly, still not used to having someone do so much for her. "S-so, um… thank you for doing this."

"It’s no trouble, really." Yu nodded, feeling the small girl's appreciation for him… in a way, he could feel his relationship with her grow deeper. Along with it, the _Sun Social Link_ did too.

Ayane spoke quietly after that. "I… I know I don't have much talent… but even I have dreams." A small smile appeared on her lips as she looked at her Senpai. "I'd love to make music that could reach out to someone who really needed it… it'd be great if I could make people happy…" Her blush deepened at her words, but she still hasn't lost her smile. "Kind of silly, I know… w-we'd better get going, Senpai. I'll see you at school."

"Alright… see you later, Ayane."

The two of them soon parted for the day.

* * *

 

The next day, Yu planned on going into the TV world to tell Teddie about the hint he just got yesterday and maybe check out the place Kanji's shadow was in. As lunchtime was about to end, he passed by the staircase to go to class when he noticed a familiar face.

"Oh, it's you…" It was Ai. "Hey, you wanna ditch class? Don't worry, we'll be back before the last bell."

The silver-haired boy didn't take too long to think about it. He's done it before – he can do it again… though not at the same frequency he did back in junior high. Shrugging, he answered her, "Sure, why not."

Ai smiled at him. "Really… alright, then meet me at the shoe lockers."

Yu nodded and went down there once it was clear for them to skip classes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went to Okina City for the afternoon, or rather, Ai chose to go here and Yu just went with it.

Ai brushed her blonde hair back, smiling at the different air of the city. "Mmmm! Feels so good. Just knowing everyone else is still stuck at school studying makes it feel great to be out here," she commented.

Yu did miss the feeling of freedom back when he cut classes, but he's trying to break that habit… yet somehow, he can't really deny how Ai felt about it, though. "I guess it's okay once in a while…" he admitted. Ai had a happy look on her at the fact that he agreed with her. "You think so? I'm surprised you're so open-minded. I had you pegged for a mama's boy."

The silver-haired boy blinked in silence.

"…It's not like I do this all the time," Ai quickly told him. "Besides, since they started keeping track of my attendance and behaviour record, I've been a good girl." She shook her head after saying that. "Well, enough small talk. Let's go." She thought for a moment. "We'll start with clothes, then we'll hit jewellery and shoes, and maybe some cell phone stuff if there's enough time." Ai only seemed to be concerned about her own shopping rather than doing things around town…

At hearing all that, Yu still managed to hold back his surprise. Did this girl really have that much money? Even he wasn't allowed to spend so much despite the fact that his grandfather practically ran a successful company. Oh well… he can't do much about it, not that he liked spending around anyway. "Alright, I'll come."

The blonde girl glanced at him. "Of course you will. Why else would you be here?" She looked away. "Anyway, time's a'wasting." She walked off, leaving the silver-haired boy to follow her on her shopping spree.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After about an hour of shopping, Yu now found himself carrying four heavy bags of… he can't even recall what Ai had bought in that time period. The blonde girl just giggled at the sight of him. "It's nice to have a personal servant! I can buy so much more this way."

He recalled that she paid for everything with a gold card… she must be really rich. "You got money to burn?"

"…Well, I guess you could call my family 'new money'. We may not have status or history, but we do have money. My daddy made a fortune in land speculation," Ai explained to him. Her eyes then fell on a clock that was set nearby and realised what time it was. "We'd better get going, though, or we won't make it back before class ends."

Yu raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?" Teachers wouldn’t really notice students that were missing from afternoon classes; one could just stay outside until school was over… that was his experience, anyway.

Ai sighed. "Soon as school gets out, I'm number one on the guidance counsellor's list. He has to check on my attendance and behaviour, and sometimes, he tops it off with a lecture. It's a major pain. But I'm out here having fun, and all the teachers are totally clueless. How stupid can they be?"

Those sound all too familiar to Yu, who lowered his head for a moment as he averted his eyes from the girl in front of him. His life last year was exactly like that. Trips to the counsellor, getting lectured about his time as a delinquent… that was a time he didn't like to recall.

He soon focused back on Ai and found the girl staring at him. "You know what, though? I had more fun today than usual," she told him. "You're different from the others. I like you." A smile appeared on her lips. "I think I'll keep you around… but next time, let's go after school."

"…Okay then." Yu soon began to hear whispers in his mind as he became acquaintances with Ai… and they spoke of the formation of the _Moon Social Link_ of the _Moon Arcana_. While he was in his thoughts from the voices, Ai began to walk off.

She stopped when she realised that Yu wasn't following. "Are you coming?! Or maybe you'd like to be a blip on the guidance counsellor's radar yourself?" she shouted at him, snapping the silver-haired boy out of it. "S-sorry…!" He quickly tried to follow her with the bags in his hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They both eventually returned to school, with Yu sneaking into class when the teacher wasn't in it yet. Funny, he hasn't lost his touch in skipping class… wait, that's supposed to be a bad thing. He hoped it wouldn't become his habit again.

Once school did end, he told the others that they would be going into the TV world again.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu certainly did not expect to see the same fox from the shrine approach them when they sat at their usual table in Junes's food court. Chie nearly shrieked at the sight of it. "Whoa, something's here! A-A fox!? When did it..."

Yosuke looked at the fox and almost stood up in shock too. "Whoa, where did this guy come from!?"

"Dude, it looks scary too!"

Yukiko was surprisingly calm at the situation, even noticing the apron the fox was wearing. "Oh... this apron... I think I've seen it at the shrine before..."

"This might be because of me." Yu spoke up, looking sheepish. He told them of what happened at the shrine before finishing up with a single sentence. "So, I made a small deal with the fox, in which it will cooperate with us while we do our investigation – it can heal or cure us with leaves, in exchange for a fee."

Yukiko and Chie were confused. "Huh...? Cure us with leaves...?" "Huh...? Cooperate with us...?"

"Are you serious...? So it wants money in exchange for fixing us up...?" Yosuke asked the silver-haired boy. The fox yipped at it, answering Yosuke's question as if in affirmation. "What's with this guy...? It acts like it understands what we're talking about..." The brunette boy looked at it with confusion.

The fox yipped again. It probably did.

"It yipped again... maybe it really does understand what we're saying!" Yukiko saw in astonishment. "B-But when you think about it, that means the police on duty and whatnot didn't find this fox, right? If it followed after us, then it really is something..." Chie was starting to feel that way as well.

The fox gave out a confident cry this time. Yu tried not to chuckle – if only his friends knew.

Chie cocked her head to the side. "Huh...? Y'think it really understands us...? What should we do...?"

"Well... I'd feel bad if we trapped it. It doesn't look like it'll do us any harm," Yukiko admitted. She looked at the leader of them team. "...What do you think, Yu-kun?"

Yu just shrugged, smiling. "Let's let it help." From what he saw with those leaves, they were pretty damn effective. They'll be helpful in the TV world. Yukiko then nodded, accepting his choice. "...Yeah. And about what Yu-kun said happened at the shrine... don't you think this 'curing' would be a big help for us?" she asked the others.

The fact that even Yukiko agreed to it shocked Yosuke. "Huh!? Are you suggesting we take it into that other world...?" He fell silent for a while, thinking even deeper about it. "Mmm... I guess that might work. It doesn't seem like it's going to leave that easily, either... and I definitely don't want it being all sulky and getting up to mischief in the store..."

This made the fox look at them all with satisfaction. The group soon came to the conclusion to just let the fox do whatever it wanted… though it'll be tough to get it into the other world since it's a _fox_. But such things never stopped them anyway.

* * *

 

"Teddie, we're here. We got some info for you," Yu said to Teddie as they all entered the TV world. The bear approached the smaller boy, a bit expectant. "Oh, you found out more about Kanji!"

"Yeah… it seems that he has a complex or something like that."

"Hmmhmm, a complex..." Teddie waited for the silver-haired boy to say some more, but when he noticed that Yu was silent, he realised that what Yu just said was literally all they got. "Th-That's it!? That's all I have to go on? You're working me to the stuffing..." He actually looked like he was pouting. "Oh well... then I'll open my nose up real wide and sniff real hard!"

Teddie then sniffed the air… "Hrmmmm..." He perked up at a certain scent. "Oh, I think I found something! It feels like our target! Is this it!? Follow me!"

"Good bear." Yu grinned as he whispered that, beginning to follow Teddie with the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they walked through the fog, they somehow entered a hallway that looked much like a sauna… it was awfully muggy in there, and even the entrance itself was full of fog. Yu stared blankly at the sight, remembering to what he saw on the Midnight Channel. This is the place…

Chie huffed as she looked around the place. "Is it just me... or does the fog here seem kinda different?"

"My glasses are fogging up…" Yukiko murmured, having to take off her glasses to wipe them. Yosuke wiped his forehead of sweat. "Man, it's hot in here. This place is like a—" He was interrupted by a distorted voice coming from inside the sauna.

" ** _C'mere, pussycat... oh... such well-defined pecs... there's no need to be scared..._** "

Everyone except Yu and Teddie cringed at that voice… especially on what it said.

" ** _Now, just relax..._** "

Yosuke turned around in a panic, unwilling to go inside. "W-Wait a sec! I-I don't wanna go!"

Yukiko looked at Teddie. "Is Kanji-kun really here, Teddie?" she asked him. Teddie nodded in affirmation. "The nose knows!"

This made the brunette boy groan. "We're... really going in here...? Urgh, I can already feel the sweat rolling down my back..." He was so not looking forward to exploring the sauna. Chie sighed. "That's becasue it's so hot..." The fact that they were still wearing their winter uniforms didn't help either.

"…Well, we've got no other choice. Let's go." Yu ordered, and everyone else followed him into the sauna.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Just like Yukiko's castle, the sauna was full of fog with voices coming from everywhere… and shadows lurked within the hallways, hidden by the muggy fog. Yu bit his lips as he looked around – the shadows would be much stronger than the ones in Yukiko's castle… he could somehow sense that.

Teddie was at a safe distance from the group so he didn't end up getting into battle if the group encountered any shadows while still being able to support them from afar. "This place is really steamy… so why do I feel a chill down my fuzzy spine? I think I caught a cold... my nose is totally useless too." He then looked around. "Kanji-kun, where are you!? Answer us!"

…There was no answer.

"Guess he's farther into this place… you guys ready?" Yu looked at his friends, who nodded with determination in their faces. While this place was quite unsettling, it won't stop them from saving Kanji from this world.

And so, they pushed on forward.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the second floor, Teddie began to speak again. "Hmmm… we haven't come across this Kanji-kun yet…" He was silent for a few seconds before looking at Yu. "Oh yeah, Sensei! Can I ask you something?"

Yu glanced back at the bear. "What is it, Teddie?"

"Why is it so steamy here? Does it have something to do with Kanji-kun? I don't really get it... do you know what it is, Sensei?"

The silver-haired boy fell silent this time for a good while. If anything's to be taken from his life in the city… it'd be a pretty sensitive topic. He's not going to dwell on it, other than the fact that he's actually okay with anyone who felt that way. "…I think I get the hints…" he muttered uncertainly.

Teddie had a look of amazement as he stared at the leader of the group. "Ah, that's my Sensei! Is there anything you don't know!?"

Yu wasn't going to answer that, merely focusing back on getting through the floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the third floor, Teddie alerted them to something being on the floor. As usual… he was right.

Upon entering a door, they entered a giant hall with someone standing ahead of them, bearing the same dark blue aura as Yukiko's shadow did. "There he is!" Chie shouted, noticing a figure through the damp fog. Yosuke recognized the figure by the blonde hair. "Kanji!"

…The figure then turned around, revealing that he's not the Kanji they were looking for. It was his shadow, and that was proven true by the striking yellow colour of his eyes. " ** _Oooooh, my my! Thank you for your undivided attention! At last, I've penetrated the facility! These images are coming to you live from inside this steamy paradise!_** "

Yu looked on with a slightly disturbed expression while everyone else stared in shock. That guy was definitely not Kanji, not when this shadow's nearly naked with only a loincloth as his clothing. This is going beyond weird…

The shadow merely continued on, speaking in such a flirtatious way. " ** _But I've yet to have any charming encounters. Could this hot fog be the cause? It's like steam rising from sweat! Mmmm, my body's tingling with excitement!_** "

After the shadow said that, a logo that looked like it came right out of a TV appeared above him. It bore the words _'Men Only!! Kanji Tatsumi in Rosy Steam Paradise'_ , all in striking colours and hues with a strange design to boot.

Yosuke took a step back, feeling weirded out. "Crap... this is wrong in so many ways..."

"Yeah... I remember it being kinda like this on Yukiko's show, too..." Chie murmured, memories of Yukiko's shadow coming back in waves. That one was weird too. Yukiko looked at her best friend while shaking her head. "N-No... it wasn't like this..." she said, denying the truth.

Suddenly, loud murmurs began to come from every corner of the hall.

"Those voices again... wait, are they louder this time?" Chie wondered. "These voices... I was wondering whose they could be, since it's only the victim in here... is it the people watching outside?" Yosuke realised what could be the reason for the voices.

"You mean everybody who's watching the Midnight Channel? They're reacting to the 'show'? Yikes... if people are watching Kanji-kun now, he's gonna be a legend in a way he never intended..."

"Well, it's really his Shadow, not him. But normal people won't know that..."

Teddie sensed something wrong. "The Shadows are getting really restless!"

Kanji's shadow remained uncaring towards what the group was saying, continuing to act like a host in a TV show… except he's way too flirty. " ** _That elusive thing I truly yearn for... will I finally find it here? Teehee! Well then, onward and deeper to reach further realms of romance!_** "

For a moment, his creepy smile turned into a serious frown, almost like how the real Kanji would look when shouting. " ** _Let's get going, dammit!_** " Then, he ran off into the fog.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko called out to the shadow, but he was already too far. "That was his other self... it's trying to reveal his hidden feelings," Teddie told her. "It seems much worse than that time with Yuki-chan's shadow… at this rate, it might end up getting 'bear' naked."

Yu felt his eye twitch upon hearing a pun again. _Goddamn it_ , Teddie.

Yukiko was quiet for a moment. "'Bear'… naked…?"

Chie sighed. "Oh man... here it comes..."

However, the black-haired girl merely looked at her friend. "Uh... was I supposed to laugh?"

"No, no you're not. Now come on," Yu quickly answered her before running ahead to chase the shadow, the others quickly following him while Teddie fell onto his hands and knees in dismay.

…Serves the bear right for doing another one of his puns.


	14. Pride of a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Investigation Team is forced to battle against the shadow of a boy who fears rejection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we see the team finally face Kanji's shadow... and maybe there's a small bit of fanservice for those who actually do like the MC x Kanji pairing in this chapter. It's really mini though, but it's a small start? :3
> 
> Oh well, on with the chapter now!

The higher they went, the thicker and hotter the steam got, to the point that it was acting quite well as a fog for the place. Somewhere along the way as they rose up the levels of the sauna, Teddie gasped in shock. "This feeling… the other Kanji's staring at us!"

To prove his point, a distorted voice that bore resemblance to Kanji's own spoke from the fog. " ** _Hey there, cutie pie! Are you trying to break the barrier of the acceptable, just like me?_** "

"No! Sensei came to rescue Kanji!"

" ** _OoooOOOOoooh! Does that mean you're yearning for me? Is that so? Oh, that makes me sooooo happy! Well then, I simply MUST prepare something spectacular for you! I'm so looking forward to seeing you soon! Well, tootaloo!_** "

When Teddie fell silent for a while, Yu glanced back at the bear in worry. "…You okay, Teddie?"

The bear looked terrified. "Sensei… this little bear's getting too scared to go on…"

"Ha…" The silver-haired boy sighed. "We'll be getting out of here for real once we get Kanji saved. Hold on a little longer for us… please?" his voice grew softer, almost feminine for a moment there. It even brought Teddie's spirit back up a little. "O-okay, Sensei! I won't give up!"

Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko glanced at each other. Now that sounded a little odd for their leader…

At the uncomfortable silence that somehow found its way between the members of the group, Yu quickly put back on his boyish façade once more. "Let's not waste any more time. Come on." He ran ahead, leaving the three and the bear to continue following from behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the seventh floor, the floor was so steamy that Yu swore he would need a shower when he got back home later. Even Teddie alerted them to it… and when they explored the floor, they found a door where steam was pouring out of its seams.

Yu looked at his friends. "This looks bad… ready to see what's behind door number one?" he asked them. The other three teenagers nodded wordlessly, and so the silver-haired boy opened the door to let them all inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside was another giant hall, with Kanji's shadow standing with a giant shadow that looked like a muscled wrestler guy in speedos and sneakers while having badly coloured hair. " ** _Welcome to Man's World!_** " he greeted them in the same flirtatious way. " ** _This place is heating up from the sudden entry of a fine young man! To celebrate this encounter, I've prepared a special stage tonight! A single match with no time limit! Who will be left standing in the end? Now, pour out your hot blood and guts!_** "

Teddie scrambled to put some distance between himself and the group. "D-Don't lose, Sensei!"

The giant shadow soon attacked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As everyone got ready, the shadow started its turn by casting Power Charge to increase its physical attack. Yu immediately sensed that it was probably going to keep casting buffs to itself, but until what point? He had to risk that.

So to counter it, he ordered that Yosuke cast Sukukaja and Tarukaja on him while he cast Rakunda on the shadow, meanwhile he let Yukiko attack with Agilao which was much stronger than Agi. The shadow wasn't weak to fire, but he had a feeling it didn't have any.

Once again, it was the shadow's turn. This time, it cast Rebellion…

"Everyone, attack with your physical attack skills!" The silver-haired boy then summoned Principality, a newer Persona he had fused a day earlier, to cast Twin Shot on the shadow. It dealt some good damage when added with everyone else's attacks.

Then, the shadow casted Tarukaja onto itself. Yu thought hard on whether to continue attack or to start defending… the shadow spent three of its chances to cast buff spells onto itself. Looking at his friends, he came to the conclusion that they were better off safe with using this chance to defend. "Now defend yourselves!"

So the four teenagers raised their arms to try and defend themselves, and the shadow decided to attack Yosuke with a huge punch. He didn't suffer as much damage as he would since he was defending, so he looked at Yu with a grin. "Good call, partner!"

Yu nodded at him with a determined smile. He focused back on the shadow who had just left itself open. "Now, let's give it all we got!"

Without anything held back, they unleased their attacks on the shadow until it finally went down.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they finally won the battle, Kanji's shadow had already ran off… Teddie cheered for them, nonetheless. Or rather, he cheered for Yu. "That's our Sensei! I knew you would win!"

The silver-haired boy chuckled. "Hey, give them some credit too." He then glanced at the floor and saw something glistening in the dim light of the sauna. "Hm?" Walking towards it, he carefully picked it up… and saw that it was a key. This might come into handy.

Putting it into his pocket, he continued to lead the others through the fog.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they went up to the next floor, they heard the real Kanji's voice from afar.

" _No, dammit! That ain't important to a man's man… that's not what I want to become… that ain't it at all!_ "

Everyone was silent at that, but Teddie was the one who broke the silence that fell over them. "…Hey, Sensei?"

"Yes…?" Yu looked back at the bear.

"The world you came from seems really complicated… ever since I met you, I really had to think hard about stuff like what I am… so I can kinda understand how Kanji feels."

"Is that so…" Yu had to admit in his own thoughts that Teddie was right. The world he and the others lived in was much more complicated that this TV world… and with a complex world came complex people.

"…Sensei, we gotta save Kanji!" Teddie soon told him, a burning fire in his eyes.

The silver-haired boy nodded. "Of course. That's what we're going to do today." They have enough strength to maybe pull this off in a single day… and if they can do it, they'll do it.

They pressed on forward into the sauna…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Eventually, they reached the eleventh floor which was the summit of the sauna. There, giant wooden doors stood in their way between Kanji and them.

Yu turned to look at everyone. "Alright… once we enter, there's no turning back. Ready to go?" he told them before asking. Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko looked at each other before looking back at their leader and nodding.

"We've gotten this far. Let's save him!" Yosuke said with a grin, his words also reciprocated by the other two girls. Yu nodded back at them, ready to go and save Kanji. "Okay then, let's go." Turning around, he opened the doors and let everyone run inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"There they are!" Chie called out as she and the others in the group saw Kanji facing his shadow. "Kanji!" Yosuke tried to get the blonde boy's attention, but it went unheard as Kanji was too focused on his shadow that was the total opposite of him.

"I-I…" Kanji wasn't even sure of what to say. His shadow still kept up its flirtatious charade. " ** _Oh, come now, enough with the charade. Isn't it awful to deceive people? To deceive yourself…? What's so bad about doing what I want to do?_** "

"That has nothin' to do with it…"

" ** _I'm what you really want, aren't I?_** "

"Hell no!"

Kanji's shadow began to ramble on and on about Kanji's deepest thoughts… " ** _Ohh, how I hate girls… so arrogant and self-centred! They cry if you get angry, they gossip behind your back, they spread nasty lies… they look at me like some… some disgusting THING and say that I'm a weirdo… laughing at me, all the while!_** "

Yu could only look on in silence with everyone else. This was much worse than Yukiko's shadow… but he didn't have the heart to judge Kanji about it. He's seen that behaviour all the same while he acted as a boy – girls could be… pretty damn cruel.

The shadow continued on its ranting. " ** _'You like to sew? What a queer!', 'Painting is so not you.', 'But you're a guy…', 'You don't act like a guy…', 'Why aren't you manly…'. What does it mean to 'be a guy'? What does it mean to be 'manly'? Girls are so scary…_** "

Kanji shook his head. He's denying his shadow's words. "I-I ain't scared of 'em!"

" ** _Men are much better… they'd never say those awful, degrading things. Yes, I vastly prefer men…_** "

"Hell with that! What makes you think you can say that shit with my face…!?"

" ** _Why, you're me… and I'm you… you do know that, don't you…?_** "

"No… nuh-uh! No way!"

At that point, Yu could tell that Kanji was about to yell out the same words that would make all shadows go berserk. "Kanji, don't say it!" he shouted out to the blonde boy… but he was too late.

" _There's no way in hell that you're me!_ "

Kanji has already said those very words.

Kanji's shadow chuckled, its aura growing darker. " ** _Teeheehee… you're me, and there's no denying it!_** " His laughter grew louder as his form began to absorb shadows from all around the place, turning it into a monster… and Yu had the gall to think that it was one of the strangest shadows he had ever witnessed in this world.

…Oh, and terrifying. Yes, that.

He almost wondered if they should try to knock the person out before they yelled out those words… but now was not the time to think.

Due to his shadow going berserk, Kanji felt the energy in his body being drained out lightning fast to the point he fell back, feeling weak. "Argh!"

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko yelled in worry for the boy, but it was too dangerous to help him with the shadow still there. "Everyone, on guard!" Teddie told the group as he went to a safe distance away from the battle. So, the Investigation Team now found themselves up against someone's other self once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~

This time, Kanji's shadow wasn't alone. There were two other shadows, both muscled and strong as well. One was named Tough Guy while the other was Nice Guy… strange names.

" ** _I am a shadow… the true self… I'm just being true to myself… and that's why… I'll get rid of anything in my way!_** " The shadow announced, bearing two giant Mars symbols as its weapons. Yukiko was a bit unnerved at that. "Are these… Kanji-kun's true feelings?"

Yosuke shook his head. "This isn't really him! It's just his emotions going haywire!"

" ** _This has nothing to do with you guys anymore! Didn't I just say I'm gonna get rid of you!?_** "

The battle finally began. Yu quickly thought of a strategy to get them through the battle – they'll focus on one of the shadows that's helping Kanji's shadows and continue on from there. But it wouldn't be that easy… if Yukiko's shadow was anything to reference from.

After a few rounds, he was mostly right. Nice Guy casted a buff spell on Kanji's shadow that forced Yosuke to cast Dekaja to debuff the shadow as quickly as possible, all while Kanji's shadow himself can cast a power up onto himself for his next attack which then forced Yu to order everyone to defend.

Hell, even the Tough Guy was a pain with its own ability to cast Dekaja on the group. But somehow, they still managed to pull through and finally get rid of Nice Guy for good. Now left two shadows… and with Nice Guy gone, Yosuke didn't have to hastily cast Dekaja on the shadow since there would be no Heat Riser spell being casted.

Their next target to focus on was Tough Guy, and while he wasn't as annoying as Nice Guy, he wasn't a pushover either. Eventually, they succeeded in taking out the shadows helping Kanji's shadow… so now, they could focus all their attacks on said shadow.

After some damage was dealt to him, the shadow was starting to grow infuriated. " ** _I've already made my decision to go through with this. Get out of my way… or I'll crush you!_** " With that, he casted a new spell – Forbidden Murmur.

The place suddenly grew dark as the floor around the group turned a dark blue with some kind of foul aura. By the time it faded, Yosuke blanched as he was poisoned by the spell. Yu, Chie and Yukiko were left unharmed, however.

"Yosuke's all poisoned!" Teddie alerted them. Yu glanced worriedly at the brunette boy and decided to use his turn to cure the poison using an item he had bought on his trip to the Shiroku Store a few days earlier. Yosuke felt much better once the poison was cured, looking at Yu to yell a quick 'thank you' before focusing back on the shadow.

But of course, the shadow could recast it again so they had to watch out for that.

It also had another trick up its sleeve, now casting a different spell… Roar of Wrath. The floor turned into the colour of fire around the group, and once it ended, Yosuke was the only one unharmed this time while Yu, Chie and Yukiko were all taken over by rage.

"Uh, guys?" Yosuke was a bit overwhelmed at seeing the girls in such state of anger, and even Yu looked terrifying with that strong glare in his face. "Sensei? Chie-chan? Yuki-chan?! They're all not listening!" Teddie panicked at the situation at hand.

The brunette quickly looked over the things they had and found something that may snap the trio out of it, so he quickly administered it to Yukiko after she had attacked the shadow with much more strength than usual. The black-haired girl snapped out of her rage and looked around in confusion. "Huh…? What happened?"

"I dunno, but Yu and Chie are still out of it!" Yosuke told her as he took a quick glance at the two. Seeing Chie angry was almost normal for him, but to see Yu this angry…? It was scary as much as it was worrying. "I think I can cure them of it…!" Yukiko summoned her Persona to try and cast Me Patra, but Chie had already gone off to kick the shadow from her rage, attacking with great strength as well.

Yukiko scrambled to cast the spell, but this time it was Yu who ran off. "W-wait!"

The silver-haired boy was in no control over his mind and body while in such a state - his hidden anger towards his life and family were all coming down to a boil as he ran towards Kanji's shadow with a loud yell. Wielding his sword like the katana he had used so long ago, he slashed his foe with more strength than he had ever shown to the others before.

Kanji's shadow became angrier at how things were turning for the group's favour, though. " ** _Stay out of my way! What's wrong with acting however I feel like?!_** " He swung his Mars symbol weapon at Yu, who was thrown back towards the Investigation Team by the impact. "Gahh!"

"Yu-kun!" Yukiko wasted no time in finally casting Me Patra to cure Chie and Yu of the rage that clouded their minds. The smaller boy groaned at the sudden rush of pain in his body, trying to get up. "What just…?"

"He got you and the girls good. C'mon, partner… we still got a shadow to deal with," Yosuke told him as he went to help his friend up. Yu could only nod and deal with the injury, continuing to lead the others to defeat the shadow.

They were doing quite well despite what just happened, until the shadow finally snapped.

" ** _I know you all thought I was 'weird'… deep down… you don't accept me at all! No matter what, I won't lose!_** " Upon saying those words, Kanji's shadow casted a new spell – Fanatical Spark. Sparks ran through the air of the place, shocking the group with moderate damage. Yosuke's weakness to electricity was now being exploited by the shadow, as it soon used Fatal End on him too.

"Yosuke!" Yu quickly summoned another Persona, Nigi Mitama, to cast Diarama on the brunette boy and heal him. "Chie, Yukiko, attack the shadow with all you got!" he ordered the other two girls. "Got it, chief!" Chie nodded and summoned Tomoe to keep using physical attack skills. "Okay, Yu-kun!" Yukiko summoned Konohana Sakuya to also keep casting Agilao on the shadow. Yosuke eventually joined in once he felt the pain in his body disappear. "Dammit ... who do they think they are?" He got up and began to attack too.

Yu kept a calm expression on and started to attack the shadow as well, letting all of their attacks deal damage to the shadow… until finally, it went down.

" ** _Ohhh! You're so mean!_** " Kanji's shadow fell onto floor with a huge shake as its giant form and its weapons fell along with it, darkness pouring out of its form as it was finally defeated. Eventually, that giant form blew away into dust to leave only the shadow in its original form.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After the battle was over, Kanji's shadow laid on his front up on the stage, defeated.

"Dammit…" Kanji gritted his teeth at the sight, managing to get up despite the immense exhaustion in his body. "Kanji-kun!" Yukiko was worried for him, knowing the feeling of being so exhausted after her shadow had gone berserk too. Yosuke noticed something, though. "Wait, Yukiko! Something's wrong."

To the group's shock, Kanji's shadow slowly began to get up.

Teddie started to panic. "I-It's still coming at us! Kanji's still rejecting it…"

"Well, I can't blame him with this many witnesses…" Yosuke murmured. He got lucky enough to only have Yu and Teddie be the only ones to witness his own shadow.

The shadow then smiled, looking flirty once more. " ** _Such a passionate approach…_** "

"What?"

" ** _I think that you three… would make wonderful boyfriends._** "

"S-Stop it! Y-You got it all wrong!"

"Enough… stop… what the hell are you blabbering about…?" Kanji tried to yell at his shadow, but it just came out in a weak mutter. His shadow didn't listen. " ** _I don't care who… won't someone, anyone, please accept me…?_** "

"Stop… it…"

" ** _Accept me for who I am!_** "

"Wh-Whoa! I really don't swing that way!" Yosuke was shaking his head frantically at what the shadow was saying. "I said _stop it_!" Kanji yelled out as he finally had it and mustered up what energy he had to rush up to his shadow who was walking towards them… and punched it hard in the face to the point it fell back down.

He still managed to keep standing after doing that. "Tch. Can't believe something like that is inside me…"

"Kanji, you're…" Yosuke looked at the blonde boy in surprise.

"…Yeah, I know… I've known all this time I had something like you!" Kanji spoke to his shadow, speaking out his thoughts. "It ain't a matter of guys or chicks… I'm just scared shitless of being rejected. I'm a total pansy who tries to make everyone hate me."

Yu looked at him, now starting to understand why Kanji acted that way… "Kanji… you're not alone."

The blonde boy glanced back at him and fell silent for a moment before he focused back at his shadow. "C'mon… get up. Anyone who looks like me, I know they ain't so weak they can't take a punch," he told it. The shadow slowly got up, now quiet for once.

Kanji continued on. "I already know that you're me… you're _me_ … and I'm _you_ , dammit!"

His shadow nodded with a small smile, and soon faded out as the strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest… in its place was a giant Persona that looked like a black robot with skeletal designs and wielded a lightning bolt as a weapon.

Kanji has obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona _Take-Mikazuchi_. Soon, it turned into a tarot card and disappeared back into the depths of his heart. Right after that happened, he fell back in exhaustion. "Ngh… shit…"

"Kanji-kun!" Chie yelled in alarm as they all rushed to him. "Let's get him out of here!" Yosuke said, to which the others nodded. "I'll help him up. Keep the path clear of shadows until we get out of here," Yu told them as he began to help Kanji up.

"Got it, partner." Yosuke nodded in affirmation. "Okay, chief!" Chie got ready to kick some shadows back to where they came from. Yukiko nodded as well. "Alright, Yu-kun." The three ran ahead to clear the routes of shadows – the hallways wouldn't be as full as shadows as before since Kanji's shadow just went berserk, so they had some time to escape before the shadows started roaming the sauna again.

Yu then focused back on Kanji, who was now somewhat leaned against him with his arm around the silver-haired boy's shoulders. "Can you move…?" he asked softly, looking at the taller boy with some worry. "Y-yeah… I think…" Kanji slowly took a step forward, which was good as he still had a bit of energy left in him.

"Okay… we need to get out of here quick. Think you can handle that?"

Kanji wordlessly nodded, and so Yu started helping him walk out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Throughout Yu's whole life, he's only been this close to a man that wasn't his relative for at least a few times, mostly because of certain situations such as helping them out or carrying an unconscious body out of a site after a good fight with others back in his delinquent days.

While helping Kanji walk was pretty much the former situation, somehow, he felt strange. Maybe it's because of the atmosphere, or the muggy steam? Or possibly because he actually hasn't been this close to a guy in general for more than a year?

It was odd, as much as it was confusing. He's lived as a guy since he was so young, so why now is he feeling like this? He didn't just smell the plain dampness in the air – he could smell something… sweet yet sharp… and that's when it hit him.

He's actually smelling Kanji's natural scent… or cologne? A mix of the two?

…W-whatever! He shouldn't be thinking about that!

Shaking his head, Yu tried to focus back on the task at hand despite feeling his cheeks burning. He shouldn't let his guard down… but at least the others weren't around to see his face all red…

~*~*~*~*~*~

They all managed to get out of the TV world without too much trouble, and Yu soon set Kanji down to let him take a break. He managed to keep a calm expression after what just happened, having quite a strong willpower to not think about it from years of training.

The four older teenagers took a few steps back to give him some air. "Kanji-kun… are you okay?" Yukiko asked him in concern. "It's… it's nothin'…" Kanji spoke, some strength still in him to speak. He suddenly felt a bit dizzy for a moment. "Whoa… ngh…" It didn't last too long, thankfully. "Heheh… I feel great… it's like my mind's all cleared up…"

Yu slightly smiled at that. "Glad to hear it."

Yosuke then helped Kanji up carefully. The blonde boy looked at everyone for a moment, then looking at Yu. "Hey… about what just happened…"

The silver-haired boy shook his head. It's a long story, and Kanji was in no condition to listen to it at the moment. "We'll tell you later."

"…Yeah… you better…"

"We'll explain everything later. You need to take a rest now," Yukiko added. "We'll be waiting for you at school," Chie then told him. Kanji lowered his head. "School…? Sure, if I ever feel like going."

"I'll take this guy home," Yosuke then said to the others. "If anything asks, I'll just say I found him somewhere like this."

Yu, Chie and Yukiko nodded. They were able to rescue Kanji with success… and now, they must let him recover for now. Wonder if this will take them another step closer to solving this mystery…?

* * *

 

During the evening, Ryotaro was home in time to eat dinner with Yu and Nanako. The man looked at his nephew and remembered about something he was about to tell him. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Remember that Kanji Tatsumi guy I told you about? You know, the one who went nuts on that news special. His family's shop called in to report him missing, but now he's been found. I thought I'd let you know, since you go to the same high school."

"Oh, really? I'm glad to hear that, then." Yu did genuinely feel that, even if he had a hand in Kanji's return.

"Yeah." Ryotaro was silent for a moment. "One other thing… some people have seen you around that textile shop lately, I hear. It's not the kind of shop students normally visit, even if your grandfather from your father's side does have a company that deals with it. Just what kind of business did you have there, really…?"

Thankfully, Yu had a proper reason for it. "My friend took me there. Got some things to buy, from what she told me."

"A friend…? Oh… that Amagi girl? That's right, her family's inn buys their stuff wholesale…" The detective sighed. "…Fine. Just don't get yourself in over your head, okay?"

Yu nodded in response. Nanako was hearing the conversation with a frown. "…Are you fighting again?"

The two older people at the table quickly shook their heads and continued to eat dinner. However, Yu was somewhat uneasy – his uncle was a detective, and he had a sharp mind. Ryotaro could easily figure something out if he and the others weren't careful with their actions.

For now, they were still in the clear.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Like she had told herself back in the TV world, Yui did take a shower to cool down after being in that sauna for so long. Thankfully tomorrow was the last day of school for the week, so she would be able to wash her uniform and undergarments clean of dried sweat and such.

Speaking of the latter… she was running out of spare chest binders to wear. Her constant soccer training and travelling in the TV world didn't help either – before all that happened, she didn't dirty her clothes at the same frequency she did now.

She may have to resort to using bandages if this is how frequent she wore them. She hoped not – they were much more difficult to maintain… but if she's forced to, then she had no other choice.

Sighing, Yui just went to her futon to sleep for the night. As she tried to, her mind wandered back to that moment in the sauna, when she was helping Kanji to walk, and she…

The silver-haired girl opened her eyes, now being too aware of the silence in her room. What's wrong with her? Was she that awkward with being close to boys now? It shouldn't bother her this much – she managed to stop thinking about it just hours ago until now.

Biting the inside of her mouth, she pulled her futon's kakebuton over her head before attempting to go to sleep again.

…She still couldn't stop her mind from going over that little moment. Ugh.


	15. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days go by as the team waits for Kanji to recover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot of social link events, you can even tell by the chapter name. There is at least something new at the end of the chapter... oh well. On with the chapter, then.

Yu was fairly tired the next day, having fallen asleep well after midnight due to his inability to stop thinking of what happened yesterday. He's still trying not to, which was starting to infuriate him. Accursed training – why isn't it working when he needed it?

There were at least few things that managed to distract him… he even learned something about a mail-order show that played on TV every Sunday. He'll have to check that out later. But other than that, he was quite distracted throughout the whole day.

…He had also nearly forgotten that on this very day, there was a soccer game amongst the members of the club. It was the perfect distraction for his own mind as he gave all that he got from both his dexterity and his training with Kou and Daisuke. He promised himself that he'll show them – now to make due on that.

It was all worth it in the end as he managed to score a goal. Everyone, including Daisuke was surprised at that… maybe this was finally the turning point in how the other members saw him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the game was over, the members of the soccer team all gathered around him.

"That was crazy, Yu! I didn't know you could hustle like that!" One of the players said, amazed at how great the silver-haired boy was at the game. "With him on the team, we might have a shot at next year's tournament," Another spoke, grinning. One other player nodded in agreement. "Man, I'm glad you came along."

Yu smiled slightly. Despite the exhaustion in his body, he managed to give it his all. "Thanks." Finally, they were acknowledging him as a member of this club after he showed them what he can do… though, he owed that all to his training as well as Kou and Daisuke's help.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu, Kou and Daisuke then went to the Chinese Diner Aiya in the shopping district to talk about it. They did have to wait for Kou to finish his basketball practice before coming there, but it didn't take too long. The black-haired boy was pretty happy to hear the news. "That's awesome! So the training paid off, huh?"

Daisuke grinned. "You should've seen the looks on their faces. Now he won't get stuck with all the grunt work. He's one of the team!"

"Nice. So am I free now? It's hard work polishing balls after a full day of b-ball practice."

"Yeah, thanks for helping out, Kou."

"It's not like I did it for you!" Kou then looked at Yu. "Still, Yu, I'm glad it all worked out!"

The both of them were beaming like it was all thanks to them… and in truth, it was. Yu smirked at the two of them. "That's not the end of it – I'm just getting warmed up…!"

Daisuke laughed a bit at that. "Hey, you sound pretty confident. Maybe I should leave the team to you, huh?"

"Well, I say we celebrate!" Kou then suggested. He looked at the owner of the restaurant that was busy preparing meals. "One extra order of mapo rice, please!" After ordered, he glanced at the silver-haired boy. "Yu, yours is on me."

Now, the three of them celebrated the end of Yu's training as he had finally proven himself to the others… and in a way, they grew closer as friends with the _Strength Social Link_.

Daisuke decided to order something too. "I'll have the pepper steak. Hold the green beans."

Kou stared at the brunette. "…Hold the beans? All you've got left is meat, dude. If that's all you want, why don't you order this?"

So their conversation continued on as the three of them talked about food…

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Yu was about to go to his room for the night after finishing up his chores, his uncle called him over to talk about something. The silver-haired boy was a little nervous about what Ryotaro was going to say, but he was mostly relieved when his uncle spoke about his midterms.

"They say you did well on that last exam. I heard about it when I was investigating. It's great to see you're taking care of your responsibilities, even though you just moved here. I need to act like an uncle every so often and give you some spending money. But don't spend it all in…" The man paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, you can use it however you like."

He then gave his nephew about twenty thousand yen, which was quite plentiful. Even Yu was flustered at the gift as he never got anything for excelling in his exams. "U-uh, thanks, uncle."

It'll be useful… but Yu wasn't exactly sure in what he'll use it for. Probably better armour and weapons or just supplies. He'll think about it.

* * *

 

On Sunday, Yui remembered something about a TV show that played only today and further Sundays onwards… so she went over to her TV and turned it on, changing the channel to the one she heard about. Just like what the students had said, it was a home-shopping program.

…Even as it started, the cheery tune it played was kind of catchy.

Seems like the home shopping show went by the name of 'Tanaka's Amazing Commodities' and sold two types of deals at different prices… one of the deals looked pretty nice as it involved a medical kit with some medicines, so she decided to purchase that one, calling using the number that was shown on the screen.

The show soon ended with that same cheery tune, leaving Yui's room in silence after that. Without much to do, she decided to go out for the day. She had to do at least something to pass the time while they waited for Kanji to recover…

~*~*~*~*~*~

While going through the central shopping district, Yu noticed Yukiko standing by the Yomenaido Bookstore. He greeted her. "Hey, Yukiko."

"Oh, Yu-kun!" Yukiko was holding a book she had just bought from the store. The silver-haired boy managed to see the title – it was… about job certifications. "Just bought a book?" he asked her, to which she nodded. "It was the last one, thankfully. Sensei recommended this book to me because it has details on a bunch of different job licenses…"

Yu was curious on why she was looking into other jobs… but who gave her the recommendation was also a question he wanted to ask, so he did. "Sensei?"

"…The career counsellor. I ask him for advice sometimes." Yukiko was a bit embarrassed, lowering her head as her expression fell. "Inside the TV… the 'other me' said she didn't want to inherit the inn… I think… those were my true feelings. So, I've decided to be a little more true to myself…"

Then, she looked up at Yu with a determined expression. "I… I refuse to inherit the Amagi Inn!"

That caught Yu by surprise. She didn't want to?

Yukiko continued on. "When I graduate… I'm leaving this town!"

She's also going to leave? Wow.

After saying all that, Yukiko blushed. "…I said it." She let out a quiet sigh in relief… before she began giggling. "I said it! Haha…" She had a refreshing smile on her face despite the weight of what she just said. "So in order to live on my own, I'm thinking of getting a job license. I was thinking something along the lines of an interior decorator… what do you think?"

Yu thought about it. If she could find a client and do well with her work, that client can spread the word with other people, and she'll be on a good start… he smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

Yukiko smiled and nodded too. "It's cool, isn't it…?" Her expression turned troubled, however. "But it's hard. It costs money to get a license… and of course I can't tell Mother… if only there was a part-time job I could do discreetly…"

At those words, Yu remembered the bulletin board where there were available part-time jobs posted on it in this very shopping district. "Well, there's this bulletin board in this shopping district where people post part-time jobs that are available. You can probably find one that suits you."

Yukiko brightened up at that. "Really…?! I'll go check the board, then!"

"There should be a few that can help…" Yu was pretty amazed that Yukiko had the gall to go against what was already set for her… in some way, he wished he could do that too, but his grandfather was much more powerful with a company compared to an inn.

…He suddenly felt his relationship with Yukiko grow deeper with the _Priestess Social Link_.

Yukiko was glad that Yu decided to stay around with her. "Thank you for keeping me company today, Yu-kun. I was a bit nervous when I told you how I felt, but… now that I did, I feel much better."

"That's good…" Yu felt a pang of guilt and fear grow in his chest. She was able to tell him her problems, but he hasn't told anyone his own. The only ones who even had a semblance of knowing what he was going through was his relatives…

If he wanted, he could tell his friends… but what would they think of him?

He can't risk that.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At night, Yu decided to spend some time with his uncle. Ryotaro was about to prepare some coffee and decided to make his nephew some too. "Hey, I was just thinking of making some coffee. All we've got is instant, though. How do you take it?"

Yu grinned at his uncle. Instant was fine with him, but he wanted to see how good his uncle was at making coffee. "Well, surprise me."

The detective laughed. "Alright, I'll pour you a good one." He looked like he was having fun.

"Dad, the news is starting," Nanako told her father. When she noticed that he was making coffee, she wanted some too. "Oh, coffee! Can I have some?"

Dojima smiled at his daughter. "Sure thing. Plenty of sugar and cream, right?"

"Yeah!"

The man then looked at Yu. "Go watch TV with Nanako. I'll bring it to you when it's ready."

"You don't have to do that, uncle." Yu was quite capable of making coffee too, even if it's instant. He was somewhat addicted to it back in junior high… a good difference in taste compared to the bland tea his grandfather would tell a worker to make.

Ryotaro was a bit surprised at that offer, but he shook his head with a gentle smile. "Oh, no, it's okay. Making the coffee is my only job around here." He then looked at the table where there were three different coloured mugs. "When I got married, her mother made me promise one thing. She said this is all I have to do around the house. But nobody else can do it. So… well, you know. It's habit now." Now he seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Is that so…" Yu found himself witnessing an unexpected side of his uncle, but he was fine with it. If that's how his uncle wanted it to be, he wasn't complaining.

…He could feel himself growing closer to Ryotaro, and it culminated in the growth of the _Hierophant Social Link_.

Dojima's smile soon fell as he took his gaze away from the mugs. "This is the only promise I can really keep these days… well… anyway. Sit over there." He went to prepare the coffee while Yu quietly went to sit with Nanako.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After the coffee was prepared, the three of them sat in the living room to watch TV together.

The news was reporting about a woman bicyclist that got hit by a car and died on the scene... and right after hearing those words, Ryotaro told Nanako to turn the TV off. Yu and her looked at her father, the latter troubled at his words. "Oh… okay." She picked up the remote and turned the TV off.

Dojima had gone silent. He soon got up and left the room, leaving Yu and Nanako alone.

Nanako knew why he acted like that. "…It was because they showed a story about a traffic accident…" She lowered her head. "Mom died in an accident. I don't remember it. And Dad won't talk about it…"

Yu could only look on in silence. Now he saw a look of loneliness on the little girl's face… one he couldn't do much about until he somehow helped the bond between the two heal. That look was all too familiar to him.

It was a look he saw in the mirror, and was still a look that hasn't faded out.

He decided to spend some more time with her by watching TV before eventually retiring to his room for the night…

* * *

 

There was still no sign of Kanji when Monday rolled around.

Yu decided that maybe he should spend some time with Chie after school this time, considering that he didn't have the time to do so weeks ago. He met up with her on the school roof to suggest that, and the two of them soon went to the flood plains to hang out… kind of.

Chie checked out some spots and eventually settled on one. "Hmmm, this looks like a good spot."

Yu looked at her in confusion. A good spot for what?

The brunette girl noticed the look on his face and turned to face him. "Y'know, for training! I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle. I tried practicing at home… but my mom and dad yelled me for putting a hole in the shoji." She was a bit sheepish at saying that. "Still, now's the time to train, right!?"

…She was kind of right, Yu guessed. It was a better use of their free time than just chatting around. "Right."

Chie smiled happily. "You think so, too!? Soooo… let's train together!" She was quiet for a moment. "…No?"

The silver-haired boy shrugged. "I'm cool with it." Maybe he could bust out some of his old moves from when he was a delinquent… he would be using them for good rather than causing a ruckus, after all. His response got Chie all happy. "Yesss! Thanks, Yu-kun!"

Chie then remembered back to what her shadow said. While she would be awkward with telling others about it, something about Yu made him a reliable confidant. "That thing… y'know, from that time? I mean the Shadow that came out of me. I feel pathetic knowing that's another 'me'. Makes me feel like I gotta work harder!" she admitted.

"Well, overcoming that would be a start." Yu smiled encouragingly at her. Chie grinned, now all excited to start. "Allllright, let's do it! Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!"

So, today marked the beginning of Yu's training with Chie. In a way, their relationship grew a bit deeper… and the silver-haired boy could feel the _Chariot Social Link_ grow stronger as well.

Chie didn't think too long on what to start with. "Let's start today with frog leaps! C'mon, you try some!"

Yu wasn't expecting to hear that. "F-frog leaps? Alright…"

They both trained for a while, and when it was time for them to go back home, he walked partway home with her.

* * *

 

Tuesday also went on without a sign of the blonde boy. How much longer is Kanji going to rest…?

Yu sighed and decided to join soccer practice in the afternoon with Daisuke, but something was off with how the brunette boy was doing in practice. When the training was nearing its end, some members went to talk about it with him. "Daisuke, what's your problem? Are you hurt or something?"

Daisuke didn't seem like he understood their question. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Kou arrived at the field. "Wow, basketball practice finished before soccer today? It's a miracle!" He glanced at Daisuke who was getting criticised at for his performance. "You're running like a fat kid with asthma, and you're letting guys drive right past you," One of the members told the brunette.

However, Daisuke merely put on a calm smile. "Don't worry… when I play for real, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, well, when I play for real, I'm a freakin' juggernaut! Haha."

Kou immediately sensed that something was off. "You have to play seriously, dude. If you're not gonna play for real at practice, why are you playing at all…?"

This got the brunette to look at him. "Kou…? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You think I don't know?"

Daisuke fell silent.

The other members of the soccer club grew awkward at the growing tension between the two old friends. "H-hey you guys… lighten up…"

Even Yu grew worried at the scene. What's happening…?

The group's words proved ineffective as Daisuke suddenly stepped towards Kou, his voice threatening. "Go on, say it, Kou. What do you mean?"

Kou remained strong despite it. "Why don't you ask yourself?

Noticing the small commotion, the varsity player approached the crowd. "Hey, what the hell's going on here?" He saw Daisuke and Kou looking at each other angrily… "…Daisuke, sprint over to the gym and give me twenty sets of burpees!"

Finally, Daisuke broke his glaring at Kou to avert his eyes in silence. He turned away to leave when a female student stopped ahead of him. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked. The brunette scratched his head, still looking away. "…Kinda."

"Um… maybe next time you're free—"

The varsity player called at Daisuke from nearby. "Daisuke! You just earned yourself five more sets!"

Daisuke looked at him in surprise. The female student grew flustered. "S-sorry. Was that my fault?" She was about to apologise when the brunette boy shook his head. "No. I needed the practice anyway."

"O-okay. I'll, um, see you later then."

Then, Daisuke left the field.

Kou looked at Yu with some regret. "…Sorry about putting a damper on everyone's mood…" he murmured before falling silent for a while. "…Yu, we need to talk. It's about him…" he told the silver-haired boy after that. "I have to do some family stuff today, though. Would next time be okay?"

Yu nodded. "Anything for you guys." These two were some of his earliest friends when he first arrived in Inaba – he'd do anything to help them now. Kou smiled in relief at his answer. "Alright… thanks!" He glanced back at where Daisuke just left for a moment, then looked back at Yu. "…Daisuke really likes you, man. I do too. You're the only guy I can trust to talk about him with."

To hear those words meant quite a lot to Yu… he had never gotten this close to anyone in terms of friendship. He could feel the trust Kou had in him, and now he felt like he was truly friends with the two athletes he had somehow met the moment he joined this soccer club.

Because of that, the _Strength Social Link_ grew ever stronger.

Kou then realised what time it was. "Oh, sorry. I better get going. Seeya later."

"See you later, Kou." Yu bid goodbye too, watching as the black-haired boy left. He then continued his practice for the day before finally going home…

* * *

 

Yu guessed that Kanji might take more than a week to rest, so he decided to give up on expecting the blonde boy to go to school anytime soon. While on his way to school in the morning, he overheard a conversation about a tutoring job. He may think about taking it up one day, but for the time being, he's a bit hesitant on taking up the job.

During lunchtime, Ai had asked if he wanted to skip afternoon classes again. He was feeling a bit cheeky today, so he agreed to go with her. Now he was in some kind of fancy store by the name of Croco Fur in Okina City. The bright and reddish lighting was hurting his eyes…

Ai didn't seem bothered by it as she looked around. "Today I feel like getting something that's easy to slip into," she said as she looked at the available selections. She soon looked frustrated, however. "Hmm, doesn't look like they've gotten anything new in. I already have all of this…"

"If that's the case, then we'll have to come back," Yu told her. He wondered for a moment if this shop bought clothes from his grandfather's company… but Okina City was still quite a distance away from Tokyo. That reminded him – he should finish up on reading the books his grandfather gave him. Next month was the final deadline to do that.

The blonde girl looked at him. "I'll get something next time, but I want something today, too. I came here to buy, not to look." She did look enthusiastic now after saying all that. She then went over to another rack of items to survey it… but then felt a bit thirty. "Hey, I'm thirsty. Buy me an ice latte," she told the silver-haired boy.

Yu just stared back at her stoically. "Buy it yourself." No way is he becoming an errand boy to someone like Ai. Hell, his response actually surprised her. "Huh…? Did you seriously just say that?" she questioned him. "You're probably the first guy who's ever taken that tone with me."

Just then, a saleswoman approached them out of nowhere. "Oh, Ai-chan! You're back again?"

Ai turned to face the woman. "…Well, yeah?"

"Are you looking for anything in particular today? Oh, we got a purse in that's just your style! The guys'll be allll over you!"

"…That's all right. I'm not shopping for purses today." Ai then walked towards Yu, which the saleswoman finally noticed. "Ooh, is that your boyfriend? He's quite a handsome one! Are you gonna introduce him to me?"

Yu nearly grimaced at that. _Boyfriend_? That's one word he never wished to hear again when it was associated with him…

The woman just began to ramble on and on. "I've had the worst luck with men lately! We were at the bar the other night—"

Ai had to interrupt her. "Sorry, we've really gotta get going. I'll be back." She then dragged the silver-haired boy out of the shop, leaving the place.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The pair went back to the station, sitting at one of the benches there.

Ai sighed. "I hate salespeople. I'm the one keeping them in business, why do they have to pounce on me every time I go in there? They should get rid of all salespeople and put in vending machines. Press a button, and out come your clothes."

"…That's not a bad idea, actually," Yu commented. It'd make clothes searching much faster… though it does remove the small thrill of finding just the right pair of clothes you needed. Ai looked at him. "Isn't it? I don't need all that pointless banter. I can see right through it… there's no such thing as a relationship without ulterior motives." Her expression began to fall the more she spoke…

The blonde girl then looked away from Yu, staring at her hands. "…I don't know why, but I got a little annoyed when she was talking about you back there. She said you were handsome. Good for you, I guess," she admitted.

Yu was silent at that, unsure of what to say. That's not exactly good for him… did his looks really work that well to his act? When he glanced at Ai again, he noticed that she was… pouting. Somehow, he felt like he understood her a little more now.

…With it, the _Moon Social Link_ became stronger.

After a moment of silence, Ai got up and looked at the silver-haired boy. "Let's go home. It'll be dark by the time we get back. Not like I have any reason to hurry…"

"Alright…" Yu got up too. He hoped that his uncle doesn't find out that he was skipping classes with Ai – that wouldn't bode well… either way, they both soon returned to Inaba and Yu went back home.

* * *

 

Thursday was a cloudy day, though it didn’t rain. Yu was genuinely surprised with himself in how often he spent time with the people he knew, or at least had a 'bond' with. It didn't really bother him since midterms were already over, so he was free to do as he wished until summer vacation came around.

There was band practice for the day, so he went to join it.

 However, the band captain had everyone assembled in the music room before they started. "Everyone here?" Once he was sure everyone was inside, he continued. "Bad news, guys. I just got word that Takeru's been in an accident."

At those words, everyone except Yu and the captain were shocked. When they began to talk amongst each other worriedly, the captain had to stop them. "Hey, hey! I'm still talking here! It's nothing serious. From what I've heard, he just fell off his scooter. But… he hurt his arm."

One of the male players spoke up. "Ouch… is it broken?"

"No, but I guess it's sprained. He's gonna need some time to recuperate. Anyway, we don't know when he'll be able to come back… which leads us to our next problem: the performance." The captain looked at Ayane, who was noticeably the shortest of all the members. "Ayane! Looks like you'll be his replacement."

That got everyone to look at her. She was a bit flustered but nodded anyway. "O-okay!"

Then a female player also began to speak. "Wait a second, doesn't the song we're doing have a trombone solo?"

"Yeah, what of it? Maybe you'd like to switch to trombone and do it yourself? She can handle this," The band captain merely told her. Ayane was getting nervous as the pressure was getting to her. "Uh, umm…" She couldn't bring herself to say anything, though.

"Alright, let's work in our section today," The captain then said. He looked at the small girl who looked quite nervous. "Ayane, practice by yourself. Try to get caught up to the rest of us, okay?" he told her. Ayane nodded. "A-alright! I-I-I'll do my best…"

And so everyone practiced their parts… while Yu didn't have to join in the performance, he played his instrument to the best he can anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time practice ended, Ayane was still quite focused in her own part. Yu decided to tell her that practice was over. "Uh, Ayane…?"

The small girl suddenly sat up. "Yes?!" She looked at who was talking to her and noticed the silver-haired boy there. "Oh, Senpai…! Sorry, you startled me."

"It's okay... I just wanted to say that practice is over for the day."

"Oh… okay." So Ayane went to put her trombone where it was usually stored at before going back to Yu. She looked really troubled. "I don't know the solo at all… I never imagined I'd be the one playing it… what should I do…? I…"

Before Yu could say something, Ayane began to wipe her eyes as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I can't do it. I'll screw it all up… I-I… I can't do anything right! All I ever wanted to play was the flute, but my parents said it was too expensive to buy one… we had a trombone in the closet, so they told me to play that instead…" Her tears wouldn't stop even as she wiped them away. "It's hard for a girl my size to play such a huge instrument… but I had no choice… no matter how much I practice, I don't get any better. I'm already afraid of sticking out during practice… and now… a solo…"

…She finally sobbed. "I can't… I can't do it…"

Yu tried to keep calm now that he found himself facing a girl who was crying right in front of him. "Don't worry, Ayane… you can do it. I know you can…" he attempted to encourage her. Ayane's tear-stained face looked a bit brighter as she nodded silently. She eventually sighed. "…I'm sorry… I feel a little better now. This is all so much…"

"It's alright. I understand the feeling." Yu was dealing with something so much bigger at such a young age too. Ayane's problem may be mediocre compared to his own problem, but it's similar to how well they can handle it. It's just too much.

Ayane looked up at him, smiling despite what she just went through. "Um… th-thank you very much, Senpai." She giggled a bit. "As long as you're here… I think I'll be able to keep on trying."

Yu could feel that the small girl was relying on him for support… he was willing to give that if it meant she would be happy. As a result, his relationship with her grew deeper alongside the _Sun Social Link_.

Ayane then nodded in determination. "I'm going to stay here and practice a little longer. But don't worry, I won't get discouraged again!" Her enthusiasm brought a smile to the silver-haired boy's face. "That's great, Ayane."

He soon said goodbye to her and went home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon returning home, Yu noticed that his uncle was looking from something.

Ryotaro was looking through pages of folders, his face noticeably showing his frustration. "It was there before… those damn kids… don't they teach 'em how to file data anymore?" he muttered to himself. When he felt that someone was watching him, he lifted his head up to notice his nephew standing nearby which caused his face to fall. "Oh… sorry, I wasn't talking about you."

"Do you want me to help?" Yu offered to him, but the man just shook his head, smiling wryly. "No… it's okay. Don't worry about it." He looked at the pages of the folder. "I was trying to find an old newspaper article… it was falling apart, so I made a copy, but… the copy seems to have gone missing." He then focused back on Yu. "There's a certain case where we don't have a suspect yet… and since the trail's going cold, it's about to be buried under newer cases."

Yu had a feeling he knew what his uncle was talking about… if anything Nanako told him a few nights ago had something to do with this. He watched as his uncle gazed back at the folder once more. "But I can't give up on this one… ever," the detective muttered, having a cornered look on his face even as he stared at the pages.

The silver-haired boy knew that this wasn't the time or the place to ask more about it.

From the corner of his eyes, Yu soon noticed Nanako slowly approaching them both. "Dad…?" she called to her father quietly. "Hm? What's wrong?" Ryotaro asked her.

"My stomach hurts…"

Those three words incited a panic between Dojima and Yu.

"Was it something you ate?!" The former asked his daughter, having gotten up from his seat in a worry. "It feels like a sharp pain below my stomach…" Nanako told him, her eyes shut in pain. This just got the man even more worried. "What?! I'll call the doc—" He recalled something for a moment. "N-no, wait. This happened before. Is it the same feeling?!"

"I don't know…"

"Urgh… okay, the medicine we used before is—" Then, Ryotaro's phone rang. He cursed under his breath. "Dammit! Who's calling at this time of night…?" He took out his cell and answered the call. "Dojima here!" When he heard the voice, he gritted his teeth. "Adachi…? I'm hanging up." Then he heard what Adachi told him. "…A sealed letter? For me?" His expression soon turned from frustration to surprise. "Is it from Ichihara-san?! When did it come?! You forgot!? Adachi…! I'm on my way!" He ended the call and looked at his nephew. "Gotta go. The medicine should be in the first aid kit… she's in your hands."

"U-uncle…" Yu could only watch as his uncle ran out of the house in a hurry, leaving him with his cousin who was still in pain. Seeing that he shouldn't waste any more time, he went to get the first aid kit so he could give Nanako the medicine…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu stayed up a few hours after he had put Nanako to bed, waiting to at least tell his uncle about how his cousin was doing. The sound of the doors sliding open alerted him to Ryotaro returning home, and the first thing he heard was a sigh from the detective.

Dojima then emerged from the entrance hallway, seemingly in a bad mood. When he saw his nephew still awake, he looked like he was about to scold him. "Yu… you're still up? It's late. Go to sleep."

The silver-haired boy could sense that something was wrong. "…Are you okay?"

His uncle looked away from him. "Just shut up…"

A silence fell between the two for a while. Then, Ryotaro looked at his nephew but refused to gaze directly at Yu's face for a moment. He seemed apologetic. "…Sorry."

"It's alright, uncle." Yu held no hard feelings… even he would lash out at anyone if something had happened to his cousin. Ryotaro looked at him directly after he said that. "How's Nanako…?" he asked him.

"She's okay… she went to sleep after I gave her the medicine and put her to bed."

"She's sleeping… good. You've been a great help here."

Even until now, Dojima seemed to bear a heavy burden… yet what is it that he's keeping locked up in his heart? Yu may have to talk more with his uncle to find out, but tonight's events have caused their bond to deepen even further with the _Hierophant Social Link_.

The detective eventually spoke up again. "It's pretty late. Go hit the hay… 'night, Yu."

"Goodnight, uncle." Yu then quietly went up to his room to sleep for the night.

* * *

 

On Friday, Ai had asked Yu again if he would like to go and skip classes with her. He just agreed since he had noticed that the afternoon classes have gotten quite sidetracked from the original syllabus… he had already finished reading up all the books his grandfather gave him, so any lessons he missed, he could quickly learn himself.

They were at Okina City again, mostly because Ai insisted on going here. She was sitting on the bench while Yu stood around. "Hmm… I don't really feel like buying stuff today. What should we do instead?" she told him before asking.

Yu didn't really know this city much. "…Let's just chill, then." He did enjoy the scenery, though. Kind of reminded him of the bustling streets of Tokyo, though it did get to him sometimes. Ai just sighed at his suggestion. "What? You mean you don't have any kind of plan? Sounds boring… oh well. Maybe you'll be able to make it interesting." She seemed willing enough.

She then got up from where she sat. For a moment, she thought about something. "You know, it's pretty funny… if I didn't sign up to manage your team, you wouldn’t be here with me now. Looking at it from your perspective, I'd say you got pretty lucky."

The silver-haired boy shifted his stance a little. "Well… not exactly." He's skipping classes again – what are the odds? His response made Ai laugh mischievously. "Haha, are you still all butthurt that I made you skip class? You should be thanking me! You're a real rebel now…"

Too bad for her, Yu Narukami was already a rebel since junior high. But now he's merely an ex-rebel.

"It was your advisor who put me on your team," Ai told him. "He said something like, 'Ai, being on a team should teach you something about putting someone besides yourself first!'. I don't understand people who play sports in the slightest… but I guess it wouldn't kill me to go cheer you on every once in a while."

The way the blonde girl was smiling with self-importance for some unknown reason gave Yu a bit of an odd feeling. He soon realised that Ai was starting to like him a little… oh boy. That even resulted in the growth of the _Moon Social Link_.

Suddenly, the pair was approached by another Yasogami High Student. "H-hey, u-um, Ai-san!" He was stuttering so much, it was almost annoying. "U-um, us meeting here like this… i-it must be f-fate, right!? So, um… y-you w-wanna go o-o-out with me sometime!?"

How straight.

Ai just looked away from the boy. "Ha, are you kidding me? Have you looked in a mirror recently?" she rejected him coldly, causing the student to run back to where he came from.

Yu felt… somewhat sorry for the guy, but since he's no man himself, he can't really understand how wounded the student's pride was at being rejected. "…You could've talked to him," he said to the blonde girl. Ai brushed her hair away from her face, shrugging. "Why? Even if he's a nice guy, I'm not attracted to him at all. Then I'd be getting his hopes up for nothing, right?"

The silver-haired boy looked away. She was kind of right… though that rejection must hurt.

After all that, Ai just sighed. "I'm bushed. Let's go home."

"…Alright."

The two of them soon returned to Inaba, with Yu going back home afterwards.

* * *

 

A full week had passed since the Investigation Team had saved Kanji, and he was still absent from school. Now Yu wondered if he was going to be absent for another whole week… the weather forecast did say that rain has yet to come for another long while.

Chie had asked if he wanted to train with her again, so he decided to go with her to the flood plains to do just that.

"Allllright! Today's the day!" Chie was pretty enthusiastic today. As they were about to start, Nanako had noticed them as she was walking home from school, nearly bumping into the two. "Huh?"

The two teenagers turned to notice her. "Oh, Nanako-chan!" Chie had just noticed the little girl there. "What are you doing?" Nanako asked them.

"Hm? Training, of course!"

"Training... who are you fighting with, Chie?"

"Hmmmm... myself... I guess...?" She was quiet for a few seconds. "…Heheh, just kidding!"

"Wow, cool!"

"Y-You think...? Hahaha..."

Then, Nanako saw something. "…Oh, a grasshopper!"

"Huh!? N-No way! Wh-Where!?"

"It just landed on your back."

"Ahhhhhh!" Chie ran towards to the little girl in a panic. "Get it off! Get it off me!"

Nanako calmly took the grasshopper off of the brunette's back, surprising Yu a bit. So much for being brave and tough... Nanako was pretty mature and brave enough to handle bugs. "...You don't like grasshoppers?" she asked Chie.

"I'm no good with anything with thin, jointed legs! Or anything creepy or squirmy! Ack, now I can't get 'em out of my mind! I can't stand those things!" Chie shook her head as she tried to get rid of the thought.

"But they're cute..."

"...You're like Yukiko. Oh, see, 'cause Yukiko's fine around bugs. But me, I totally lose it... kinda funny, huh?"

Yu chuckled at that. "More like it's very feminine." He saw her kick shadows till they pop, and even kicked Yosuke until he nearly collapsed. This was his first time seeing her this way. "Th-That's not true! It's not..." Yet even as Chie protested, she somehow looked happy.

"A lot of kids in my class don't like bugs. It's not just you. Don't worry!" Nanako told her too, grinning cheerfully.

"Nanako-chan... ooh, you don't know how happy that makes me. Thanks! C'mon, you wanna train too?"

"Okay!"

"Let's start with form. I'll teach you a kata..."

So the two began training instead… oh well. Yu sent her home before it got too dark for her to return, eventually.

Chie was looking sheepish after all that. "I'm gonna get over my fear of bugs. I don't wanna look like a sissy next to Nanako-chan! All I have to do is think of them as Shadows! Then I'll be able to grab a whole fistful!" At that thought however, she fell silent. "…I-I just gave myself goosebumps... g-getting used to bugs might take a while, but I won't lose to Shadows!"

"Oh, you won't." Yu smiled at her, feeling her burning passion to fight. He could feel their relationship grow deeper, and so did the _Chariot Social Link_ grow. The two of them continued to train using what time they had left, and once finished, Yu walked partway home with Chie like he did before.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a whole week of doing nothing much but hanging out with others, Yui felt like she had to focus on her private life this time. Glancing at the bag full of books that her grandfather sent her, she took out her phone and contemplated on calling her grandfather's secretary for a moment.

…She eventually came to a conclusion and called him.

Putting her phone to her ear, she waited as a beeping sound rang in her ear for a small while… before it was answered by an aged yet still charismatic voice. _"Hello, Yui."_

"…Hello, Mr. Tadashi."

She could hear a small chuckle from the other line. _"Are you calling me to talk, or… have you finished reading up on the books?"_

"The books, of course. I've finished."

_"…I'm actually surprised you managed to finish that within two months."_

"Yes, well… I'm just wondering if we can set a date for the test. I might be busy with school and such..." Yui told him. With the TV world business and the added risk of being seen doing the test in Inaba looking like some businessman… she needed a set time so she could get ready.

_"Is that so? Your grandfather has set it so that I will go there to meet you on a day in June… will that be alright?"_

"It's… okay. Hold on, let me check the calendar first, Mr. Tadashi." Yui went over to the calendar in her room while still holding the phone to her ear, using her free hand to check the days for June. She looked over the days and soon picked a date. "Would the fourteenth of June do? It's a Tuesday."

_"Fourteenth of June? Hm… I think that should be okay. But are you sure? Once I tell your grandfather, he won't be accepting any changes to the date."_

"Yes, I'm sure. Please tell him… and thank you."

_"It's nothing much, Yui. Take care."_

The call ended there.

Yui sighed and put her phone back into her pocket. The fourteenth of June… that should be enough time for her to get ready. She may have to dress up in different clothes than she would usually wear if her past tests were to be referenced from.

At least she knew a place that did sold textiles… but she had to be careful of Kanji.

...She immediately stopped thinking of it. No way is she making herself think back to that moment in the sauna-- oh, _damn it_.

So much for her 'strength of the mind' training.


	16. Until the Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rain soon comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bunch of social links again! Ahhhh--
> 
> Welp, on with the chapter!

Monday came along quickly, being cloudy unlike the previous days that showed sunlight and the blue skies. Yu had spent yesterday - which was Sunday - with Kou and Daisuke, having gotten a little comic book about some kind of detective witch for free since the brunette accidentally bought it instead of the comic he wanted.

Though, he had a small feeling that Kou had a thing going on for Chie who noticed them standing in front of the book store… oh well. Yu thought about what to do after school… and recalled that he hasn't spent some time with Yosuke in a while, so he went to go ask him if he wanted to hang out together.

Soon, they were off to Junes for a quick bite to eat.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They sat at one of the tables, which was still too big for only two people, not that it bothered them anyway.

Yosuke looked pretty cheerful. "So whatcha gonna eat today?" he asked Yu. The silver-haired boy was about to answer when the same two girls suddenly approached the brunette, looking cross. "Hey, Hanamura!!"

Despite the hostile yell, Yosuke managed to keep a calm look as he looked at them. "…What is it today?"

"How come Kazumi can take the day off and we can't?"

"…Huh?"

"We told you before! We can't work weekends! So when we refused, they said they were going to fire us! I don't get this!"

"Hey, I talked to the manager…" Something came to Yosuke's mind. "Senpai… have you been taking absences without leave lately?"

That got the two girls flustered. "I-I just forgot to come…besides, that's not the point! What're you going to do about this?! I have a date that day!" One of them told him. "How come you're favouring Kazumi, huh?! You were like that with Saki, too!" The other joined in.

Yosuke was surprised to hear Saki's name being mentioned. "…Huh?"

"Don't try to hide it! We all know! You liked Saki and treated her special!"

The brunette boy grew silent for a moment. "…I don't think Saki-senpai has anything to do with this subject."

"Yeah, it does!! You told the other workers to take it easy on Saki too, didn't you? You think you can do anything just because you're the manager's son?!"

The other girl added fuel to the fire by badmouthing Saki the same way her friend did too. "So it's Kazumi now that Saki's dead?! Don't even bother, she has a boyfriend. Didn't you get it?! Saki didn't like you! We heard so from her! She may have acted that way, but…"

Yu gritted his teeth as he listened to the two girls beginning to badmouth someone who didn't deserve to be talked about that way. Slamming his hands onto the table, he stood up and shouted at the two angrily. " _Shut up!_ "

Yosuke looked at his friend in surprise. That was the first time he saw the silver-haired boy react that way. "Yu…"

The girls glared at the smaller boy. "Wha—who are you?! You shut up!"

Then, Yosuke suddenly got up from his seat and yelled at the two girls, unable to take it all in anymore "You're the ones who should _shut up_!! What do you know about Saki-senpai?! She didn't do things half-assed like you! She looked lazy, but she worked hard! She talked bad, but she was good inside! So she hated me? I knew that! She's not here anymore! I'm left behind!" He was left breathless by the end of it. "…Just leave me alone…"

"Wh-what the heck…?" The two girls looked at him in shock. One of them looked at the other. "..Let's go." So, the two left the place.

Yosuke lowered his head, staring at the ground. "…I just blurted out a buncha crap, huh?"

"You were just upset, Yosuke...." Yu murmured. He had a feeling he knew of how much trouble the brunette boy has been going through due to his father's job… added with the death of Saki Konishi, it all just burst at one point.

"N-no, I was just…" Yosuke tried to deny it but just fell silent again. He smiled pathetically as he glanced at his best friend. "Damn… another pathetic display from Yosuke, huh? …Thanks, though. Hearing you say that stuff to them… it made me happy." Now he was sheepishly smiling.

The silver-haired boy couldn't bring himself to smile back, but he still tried to.

…Their bond had somehow grown stronger through this alongside the _Magician Social Link_.

Yosuke then sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want to… I really don't want to, but I'll go talk with Dad… at this rate, those two are gonna quit… I should tell him and apologise…" He took a few steps forward, but stopped. "I don't know… what do I want to do? I don't get it… even though it's my own future."

"Yosuke…"

"Sorry, but I'll see you later, Yu."

Yu was quiet at that. "…Okay."

The two of them soon parted for the day.

* * *

 

Tuesday was still cloudy, but it didn't rain… so Yu decided to join sports practice, recalling what happened during the last one. He hoped that Kou would explain something about Daisuke's problem.

When practice finished, Daisuke met up with him. "I have to do the class record today, so don't wait up on me," he told him. The silver-haired boy shook his head. "It's okay, I can wait."

This got the brunette scratching his head. "You sure…? Ehhh… no, man, really. I'll see ya later." He then left, missing Kou who had just arrived at the field. "Hm? What's up with the cold shoulder? Daisuke can be such a damn rebel." He looked at Yu. "Oh well, I guess that makes it easier. I need to talk to you… and tell you what, we'll talk over mapo rice. My treat!"

The silver-haired boy shrugged. "Sounds good."

"Great! Heck, I'll get you a large!"

The two boys then went down to Aiya Diner…

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they waited for their food, Kou started to talk with a serious expression on his face. "You probably guessed this, but it's about Daisuke. You've noticed him slacking off at practice a lot lately, right? He never used to do that kinda stuff…"

"Why is that?" Yu asked him. He was concerned for Daisuke too – something was definitely off, ever since Ai became the team manager.

"Well, to start it off… before, he woulda died for any chance to play soccer. You practically had to pry the ball away from him, even off the field. But now he's half-assing everything… I don't get it. Maybe he just doesn't think playing hard is 'cool' anymore… " Kou sighed before looking at the smaller boy. "He took it seriously when he was helping you train, though, right? He really wanted you to get good enough for the team to accept you… don't get me wrong, I don't think he was faking it or anything… but… I wonder if part of that was him trying to make you do the things he feels like he can't anymore… he's fooling himself."

Yu remained silent at those words. He never did doubt that Daisuke wanted to help him… but if that was really how the brunette saw things…

Kou shook his head as he thought more about it. "It just pisses me off to watch him do this… " He sighed again. "How did he get like this…?" Then he realised something. "…Ya know, his new attitude towards girls is pretty sudden, too. He used to talk about girls like any normal guy would. You think it could be related…?"

"It… could be." Yu had noticed that earlier. Kou nodded. "You think so too? He can be a little blunt sometimes, but he's a nice guy. He's been acting so cold toward girls, though, like he's saying stuff that he doesn't really mean…"

The black-haired boy kept quiet for a moment, then he started to speak slowly. "…I'm only telling you this because I trust you, but… see, Daisuke had a girlfriend back in middle school… but from what he told me, they never even held hands. Then she broke up with him."

"Seriously…?" Yu looked at him in shock. What kind of girl would…?

"She made a big scene. She was all like, 'You don't even like me, do you!?'. I heard she even slapped him. And ever since then, he's been saying stuff like, 'I don't know what it means to like someone…'. At the rate he's going, he's gonna die an old hermit." Kou merely sighed again. "What do you think?" he then asked Yu.

Well, Yu's not going to let Daisuke handle it on his own. The brunette helped him with his training – now it's his turn to return the favour. "We've got a problem, that's what."

His response got Kou to agree with him. "Yeah, I think so too." Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Whoa! I just had a great idea. I'm a genius…" He looked at the silver-haired boy again expectantly. "You're with me on this, right? You're gonna help him?"

"Count me in." Yu smiled at him. He can only hope that the idea, whatever it is, isn't too… much.

"Alright! Now we're talking!" Kou seemed ecstatic for some reason. Either way, by worrying about Daisuke with him, Yu could feel their relationship strengthen… and because of it, so did the _Strength Social Link_.

"I'll set everything up. Make sure you wear some clean boxers!" Kou told him. "Uh… what for?" Yu asked uncertainly, raising an eyebrow.

…They eventually passed the time with a rather vulgar conversation, much to Yu's chagrin.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu thought about what to do for the night after he returned home, he recalled that Nanako had went out to shop earlier, so the fridge was full of food. He guessed that he could cook something for lunch during school, so he went to check the fridge.

Spotting some beef, he decided to use that as his main dish and attempted to look for some other ingredients he could use… and eventually, he got enough to make some grilled beef. While he hasn’t cooked in a while, he still has his many years of basic cooking experience.

So, he started to prepare the ingredients before cooking the beef… but somehow, he ran out of salt during the cook. Soy sauce was a good alternative, and by the end of it, he got grilled beef that was pretty savoury to the taste.

Smiling, he cleared up the kitchen and put the food he just prepared into a food container that he'll bring to school tomorrow.

…Tomorrow was going to be the last day before the rain came.

* * *

 

The next day, he had shared his lunch with Ayane who was amazed at how good his food was. It was a big praise, but the silver-haired boy was humble with it, saying it wasn't much. Meanwhile, there was soccer practice that day… now he wondered what Kou's idea was.

On his way to the field though, Kou stopped him and dragged him off to somewhere with Daisuke… and now they were in Okina City.

"So… what's this all about?" Daisuke asked Kou, a bit annoyed. "You made up skip out on practice, man. I think you own us an explanation."

Then, a girl's voice called out. "Oh, there he is. Kou-chan!"

To Yu and Daisuke's surprise, a group of three girls approached them. Kou smiled at the sight. "Hey! Sorry for calling you here on such a short notice," he told the three girls.

"That's okay. We weren't doing anything anyway." One of the girls then began to talk to her friends about something. Yu almost paled at the sight – was this…? That can't be… oh dear. Daisuke glanced at Kou. "What's going on…?"

Kou looked back at him. "What does it look like? I set up a group blind date for us."

…Yu almost hated it when he's right in this case.

This got Daisuke agitated. "Huh?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

This looked bad. Yu could hear the conversation the girls were having, and he himself was not quite excited to have this group blind date with them…

"…I'm outta here." Daisuke then began to leave. "Huh? No, wait!" Kou tried to call him, but the brunette boy didn't listen. "S-sorry ladies, looks like tonight isn't going to work out!" he told the group of girls, shocking all three as he beckoned Yu to follow him quick.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The three of them rode back home on the bus in an awkward silence, and Daisuke refused to talk with them even as they got off. Yu and Kou had to chase him to the flood plains to get him to talk. "I said wait, dammit!" Kou yelled at the brunette.

Daisuke turned to face them both. "I never asked you to try and set me up with anyone. I only went because you told me it was important…" His face turned hostile. "Don't drag me into the BS. If you want to get a girlfriend, do it yourself."

"I did it for you!" Kou then shouted at him. "You're always going on about how 'girls are just a pain in the ass.'. But it's all an act!"

"Whaddaya mean, 'an act'!?" Daisuke shouted back at him. Their quarrelling then started to escalate from there until Yu had to force them to stop. "You two, stop it!"

The two athletes fell silent at his words. Kou sighed. "He's right… sorry. Yelling won't solve anything." He focused back on Daisuke. "You're just scared! You hear that?! Scared!"

"Scared…? Of what?"

"Of girls! You're scared of being rejected again, aren't you? That's why you give them all the cold shoulder. You don't have to worry about it if they hate you already, right? And it's no different with soccer! You're half-assing it! You're scared to play seriously and hit your plateau! You're afraid that if you play hard, you'll be depressed when you can't improve anymore!"

"Wha…? N-now you're just making things up!"

"You take all the fun out of life if you never have to feel pain. What's the point of living like that?"

"I don't need you to lecture me about my life! You got that?! It's MY life! You guys have nothing to do with it!"

"Yes we do!" Yu yelled at Daisuke, unable to take it all in anymore. Kou and Daisuke stared at him in shocked silence, to which the former quickly recovered to make his point to his best friend. "Of course we do! What am I to you?! What is Yu to you?! And what are you to Yu and me, huh?! Don't talk like we have nothing to do with your life, dumbass!"

Daisuke couldn’t bring himself to look at the two. "…I'm sorry… yeah…"

Now a silence fell among all of them, to which the silver-haired boy broke with a sigh. "C'mon, Daisuke… let's talk down by the river," he said quietly, and both athletes nodded without a word to it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They all sat by the riverside, knees held up near their chests.

Daisuke sighed quietly. "Kou's right… girls are a pain in the ass, but I don't hate them… I'm just scared. They come up and say they like me… but then they tell me they can't understand me, they get disappointed, and break up with me. Makes me wonder about myself…"

Kou glanced at his best friend. "You're talking about that girl you dated in middle school, right?"

"Dated? Tch, I don't think you could even call it that. I still remember… she said, 'You're not the guy I thought you were. The real Daisuke is the one on the field.'. When I think about going through all that again, I get scared… or maybe lonely. It's hard to tell."

"Forget about her… there's always gonna be people like that. But you have to just let 'em go and move on."

Daisuke then looked up at the sky. "…But… I can't let it go…" He broke his gaze away from the clouds to look at Kou. "I still have feelings… what'll happen to them?"

Then, Kou just realised the true extent of his friend's feelings for this girl. "Ahh… you really liked her, huh…?"

"After she asked me out. But… she was my first girlfriend. I was thrilled… all I wanted to do was hold her close to me."

"Then you've gotta go settle it. If you don't, you'll carry this baggage for who knows how long."

Daisuke then somewhat glared at the black-haired boy. "…You're too nosy, you know that?"

Kou chuckled. "Yeah, what of it?"

Finally, a smile appeared on the brunette's face. "…Thanks."

"You can be pretty sincere when you want to, Daisuke," Kou commented with a smile of his own. Yu smiled too. "That's his charm, actually." His comment got Daisuke blushing in embarrassment. "Knock it off!"

Their bond has strengthened even more… with it, the _Strength Social Link_ did too.

Kou looked at Yu. "Alright, Yu, it'll be your job to make sure Daisuke doesn’t get cold feet about this thing," he told him. "I won't, dang it!" Daisuke said with some protest in his voice. Yu and Kou just laughed at him, happy that Daisuke was all okay again.

The three of them had a good time together before heading home…

* * *

 

The rain started to last the whole day starting on Friday, and as a result, no one was in a mood to hang out.

Yu was checking some things out at the Yomenaido Bookstore when he met a man who he had helped a few days back to get something for him. The guy had asked him if he could help feed a stray cat at the flood plains, so Yu decided to accept his request for the heck of it.

…He did, admittedly, have a soft spot for cats. His parents and uncle weren't fond of them, sadly. His grandfather was no different.

Speaking of cats… there was that fox back at the shrine. He did manage to fulfil the wish on the ema about… more than a week ago. It's probably time he reported to the fox about it since he had no one else to spend time with.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Arriving at the old shrine, Yu looked up to see the fox up on the roof again. It soon jumped off and landed behind him, like before. "Much of a show-off, aren't you…?" he murmured, chuckling. He then noticed that the fox had brought the ema with the wish he had already fulfilled. It was probably worried of the outcome.

"No worries – the girl got her confession accepted," Yu informed it with a smile. The fox howled happily, looking exuberant. It ran around him a few rounds before going over to the offertory box, peering inside… and it actually seemed pleased at the sight.

If rumours of the shrine's benevolence spread around town, more people may come to make offerings… who knows, Yu might be the catalyst to that happening in the future.

The fox looked at Yu with gratitude. He giggled, still smiling. "You're welcome, little fox."

With that, the silver-haired boy could feel his bond with the fox grow with the _Hermit Social Link_. The good thing is, now that his relationship with the fox has grown stronger, it was now giving him a discount on its services inside the TV… so it was a win-win situation for the both of them.

Eventually, Yu passed some time with it before going back home. It wouldn't be nice to catch a cold in this weather… not when a murderer is on the loose.

* * *

 

Saturday was also a rainy day – Yu expected that by tonight, a fog would set in Inaba… until then, it was still a gloomy atmosphere. Since he just finished a request for the fox, he decided to check by the shrine after school ended to see if the fox had another request for him to fulfil.

The fox greeted him like usual, bearing a new ema this time. Written on it with thin, lady-like handwriting was a wish… asking for that her mind was 'clear' of snacks, and that she wanted to hate them. Yu looked at it and nodded. "I'll do it."

At that response, the fox looked at him happily. He then left the shrine quietly, planning to go back to school to study for the evening…

~*~*~*~*~*~

When night fell, Yu was having a warm drink with Nanako as they watched the news play. The weather forecast had expected the rain to end soon, and as a result, a thick fog was expected to form in Inaba later that night.

…He decided to go up to him room early, just to clear up his room a bit while waiting for the Midnight Channel to play.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yui finished up on arranging her books, clothes, and other stuff in her room, she took a glance at the clock and saw that it was about to reach midnight. With a quiet huff, she got up and went to stand in front of her TV and stare into it.

A moment later, the TV came to life as the Midnight Channel played… and to her relief, there was no one there. Kanji had already been saved, so the killer has once again been thwarted.

Now that she knew that there was nothing more to worry about, she finally decided to prepare her futon to go to sleep.

* * *

 

Yu went out to the shopping district to check the workshop they usually bought their weapons and armours from when he bumped into a woman standing in front of the Shiroku Store. "Don't bother me!" she suddenly shouted at him, causing him to flinch. "H-huh?"

"I'm channelling my mental energy in order to control my urges... I mustn't want snacks... they'll just make me faaaat... Shiroku Store is my enemy... remember all that dieting and exercise... do you wanna have to do all that again?" The woman was talking to herself… even Yu wasn't sure if he should listen to her, but he had to if he wanted to think of a way to help her.

She just kept muttering on her own. "Must shun the snacks... ahhh! Snacks... I want to eat snacks!" She sighed. "I wonder if there're any bad-tasting snacks. Actually, it doesn't have to be bad... maybe if it were just odd-tasting, I would stop thinking about them...? I want to distance myself from those Shiroku snacks..." She was definitely the one who wrote the wish on the ema.

Though… odd-tasting snacks or bad-tasting snacks? The latter sounds more unlikely, but maybe he can find at least _someone_ who'd have a snack of the former criteria. Quietly leaving the woman alone, he went towards the workshop and found Chie standing around there. "Oh, hi Chie."

Chie looked at him and smiled. "What's up, Yu-kun?"

…Now Yu was curious if Chie knew anything about a snack that may just help the woman from earlier. "Say, do you know a snack that doesn't taste like a snack? Be it an odd taste or a bad one," he asked her. Chie thought about it for a second. "A snack that doesn't taste like a snack...? Hmmmm, I have no idea... my snacks taste like snacks... you want some?"

"Uh… sure?"

So the brunette girl then gave her friend three strips of gum… but it wasn't any ordinary gum. It was called Meat Gum – it smelled and probably tasted like meat… yet the smell was horrible to Yu. Thanking her, he quickly ran back to the woman earlier.

He didn't even have to ask as she suddenly perked up at the strong smell of the Meat Gum. "What's this smell…?! It smells juicy, raw, and yet sweet... is this the rumored Meat Gum!?" She gulped, noticing that the smell was coming from the silver-haired boy. "Hey, can I have a bit? I want to try it."

"Sure… take all of it, if you want." Yu gave her a strip of the gum.

As she tried it, her eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-What is this!? It's chewy meat! This is also considered a snack!? The world of snacks is indeed vast and infinite… well, that was certainly different and odd. When I think 'snack' I'll definitely recall this taste now. Thank you... now I won't linger in front of the Shiroku Store anymore." She smiled thankfully at the boy. "Oh, yes. I need to visit the shrine. I made a wish to hate snacks there. I'll use my snack money as an offering!" She then went off to do that… well, at least she's happy.

Yu walked back to the workshop and noticed that Chie was still standing there. "…Hey Chie, wanna hang out after I finish checking out the workshop?" he suggested to her. "Oh, yeah! Sure!" Chie nodded. "Let's train at the flood plains again, alright?"

"That sounds good." Yu nodded back and went to do his business first before he did go train with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two teenagers trained for a while before finishing up.

"Whew. Let's call it a day," Chie told Yu, grinning as she placed her hands on her hips. The silver-haired boy then saw some guy approaching them both. "Huh? Hey, Chie. Whatcha doing?" he asked the brunette girl who turned to look at him. "T-Takeshi…!? W-Well… training! I'm working out!"

"Huh? When are you gonna graduate to being king of the hill?"

"K-King of the hill…?"

"In kindergarten it was the Runt Gang, in elementary school you were an Ally of Justice… middle school, it was the Vanguards of the Lunch Revolution, wasn't it? Haha, so… what is it now? You a Protector of Earth's Peace?"

"W-Well…"

Now that's just talking bad about someone, even if Chie did know the guy. "Quit bagging on her," Yu told the boy with an unimpressed expression. Chie looked at him and Takeshi in a panic. "Huh…? Wait, what're you saying?"

Takeshi became somewhat flustered. "Oh, uhhh… I didn't mean that in a mean way. I'm Takeshi Kouno. I was with Chie up until middle school… I'm not gonna get in you guys' way."

"Hey, what are you…?"

"Oh, how's Yukiko-san doing…? Does she have a boyfriend yet…?"

"…She's fine, and I don't think so."

"I see. Cool, cool. She still good-looking? Maybe I should try for her again…"

Chie fell silent at that.

"I'll see you later. Say hi to Yukiko-san for me." Takeshi left, leaving the mood dampened heavily.

Chie was looking quite sad after he left, so Yu tried to lighten the mood by doing an impression of a different Takeshi… but since the guy's voice was pretty deep and he's no guy in reality, he just ended up sounding like a squeaker.

The brunette girl stared at him for a moment before she cracked up. "Hahaha! What, was that supposed to sound like him!?"

Yu blushed slightly, but he was glad that she at least laughed at it. Chie laughed hysterically for a while, eventually slowing down in heavy breathing. "I-I'm sorry. He really is rude, huh? Seriously… he was always staring at Yukiko…"

Yu raised an eyebrow at that. It almost sounded like Chie had something for that guy…

Chie noticed the look on his face and shook her head. "H-Hey, don't get me wrong. He's nothing but an old classmate to me! We're just friends, y'know…? We used to get that a lot, though." She smiled somewhat sadly, looking down at the grass beneath their feet.

"If you say so…" Yu wasn't fond of this Takeshi guy, but he did learn something about Chie's past… somehow, he felt like he had grown closer to her… and so did the _Chariot Social Link_.

That sad look on Chie's face didn't last long as she soon looked up at Yu. "…But that's all in the past! Let's head home."

"Alright then."

They both talked about various things as they walked home...

~*~*~*~*~*~

While Yui got her school clothes ready for Monday tomorrow, she wondered if Kanji would finally go to school that day as well. Two weeks were plenty of time for one to recover from the ordeals of the TV world, but who knows, really…?

…She still can't really stop thinking of that moment in that sauna… but the initial shock that came along with it has now faded with time. She was probably just too flustered at the sudden closeness, that's all. But now there's a warm feeling in her chest whenever she accidentally recalled that time.

Ugh, she'll just ignore it for now.

Tomorrow's a new day.


	17. To New Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new member joins the team, and a silver-haired boy goes through trouble for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kanji finally joins the team! And Yui undergoes trouble during a day that's important to her... what is it? You'll have to read to find out! On with the chapter, ta ta!

Monday soon rolled around, and finally, Kanji was back in school that day.

Yu and his friends met up with him up on the roof, and it took a moment for the silver-haired boy to compose himself so he didn't recall _that_ time again. At least Kanji looked alright. "H-hi there!" he greeted them, polite all of a sudden.

Chie giggled a bit. "Haha, where'd the manners come from?"

Kanji scratched the side of his head awkwardly. "Well, um… I didn't know you guys were my senpai." His response made the older teenagers laugh, but otherwise, they held no hard feelings. Who would've thought that the guy that made them run was actually younger than them?

"Uhh… thanks a bunch. Though I don't really remember what happened…" Kanji then told them.

Yu looked at his friends, and they nodded at each other. They should try and ask, at least.

"There are some things we'd like you to tell us about," Yukiko said, starting it off. "First off, who was that boy you met with?" Chie asked him. At first, Kanji didn't get who they were asking about… but it took him only a few seconds to realise exactly who they meant. "I-I really don't know much about him… I mean, I've only met him twice…"

"Yeah, but you walked home from school with him. What did you guys talk about?"

"Uh, well… he just asked stuff like… if anything different happened lately…" Kanji tried to answer. "But I dunno where my head was at… when I came to my senses, I blurted out that I wanted to see him again." There was a reddish hue on his cheeks as he said that.

"To a guy," Chie deadpanned.

"…I, uh… I don't really get it myself. Girls are so loud and obnoxious, so, y'know… I really don't like dealing with 'em. Guys are a lot more laid-back. S-So, uh, I started thinking… what if I'm the type who never gets interested in girls…? And I couldn't accept that, so I kept spinning around and around in my head…"

"Well, I can understand the part about feeling more relaxed around dudes," Yosuke commented.

Yu felt just about the same – living for so long acting like a guy got him more used to being around boys than girls, but his likings still stayed the same and he still got nervous if he went a long while without close interactions… like that time.

…Well, they're not here to chat idly. "Well, how are you feeling, Kanji?" he then asked the blonde boy.

"I'm fine now," Kanji answered with a smile. "I mean, it was all in my head, when y'get down to it. I was the one shutting out that stuff." He then averted his eyes from the silver-haired boy. "So, uhh… our family's run a textile shop for generations… oh yeah, you already knew that. My parents are kinda weird… they say stuff like, 'Dyes are one with the universe,' and 'Cloth is alive…'. That's the kinda house I grew up in. So I've been interested in sewing and stuff since I was a kid. But the second I say stuff like that, people look at me funny… girls make fun of me, the people in the neighbourhood treat me like I'm some zoo animal, so I was sick of everything. And when I got to my senses… I was running wild." He paused for a moment. "Shit, what's with me today? I'm going on and on about myself… forget all that. Man, I must look really lame right now."

"No you're not… you're really pretty cool, Kanji." Yu smiled softly at the younger boy. Kanji was tough to handle all that on his own… unlike himself. Kanji shook his head, however. "Nah, I doubt it." He then looked up at the sky, looking… peaceful. "Haha… I've never talked about any of this stuff before. Guess I never had anyone to tell it to. I guess I wasn't really afraid of girls. I was just scared of people in general. But all that's behind me."

His words genuinely surprised Chie. "Wow, I'm surprised… you're a good kid…"

Now Kanji was blushing in embarrassment. "D-Don't call me a good kid…"

"Hahaha, no need to get embarrassed. You're a big guy, you can take it." Yosuke grinned at the blonde boy. "Hey, is there anything you remember after you ran into us the second time? You know, after you chased us away and said you were gonna take us down," he then asked.

"Huh? Uhh… I went home… I was gonna sleep it off in my room… wait, I think someone came…"

"To your house!? Who was it!?"

"Uh, well, it was just a feeling I had… I dunno if anyone actually came…" Kanji soon noticed the looks on Chie and Yosuke's faces and quickly tried to remember something else. "Other than that… I remember some weird, dark, entrance thing… when I woke up, I was laid out on the floor of that sauna place."

"A dark entrance…" Yukiko mused quietly. "Could it have been a TV?" she asked him.

"Huh…? Now that you mention it, maybe so… uh, why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason… I was just wondering."

"Did the police ask you anything?" Yosuke questioned, to which Kanji looked a bit awkward at answering that. "Well, my mom had called the cops to look for me, so they questioned me for a while. I told them exactly what I just told you… and they looked at me like I was crazy."

The four older teenagers looked at each other. Yep, the police were hopeless.

Kanji was confused at the looks they were giving each other. "So, like… are you guys playing detective or somethin'?"

"Mmm, well, something like that…" Chie answered him. Kanji then grinned, seemingly eager. "Anything I can do to help? If there's some bastard out there who put me through this, I ain't gonna rest until I make 'em pay," he told them.

"Seriously? Awesome! You'd make a great addition to our team!" Yosuke looked at Yu. "Whaddaya say, Leader?"

Yu had no qualms to Kanji joining the team. "Of course he can," he said, smiling. "Welcome to the team, Kanji."

"Thank you, Sir! I'll put my life on the line for you guys!" Kanji did something like a fist pump as he grinned at the silver-haired boy. "I'll do my best!"

Now that Kanji Tatsumi has joined the Investigation Team, they have just gained a strong asset in solving the mystery of the murders in Inaba… and because of it, Yu could feel that the _Fool Social Link_ has grown in strength.

Yet even now, he feels something else… just a warmth that was pooling in his chest whenever he looked at the blonde boy. Averting his eyes for a moment, he tried to act natural while still feeling that warmth. Why is this happening…?

At least the others haven't noticed.

"Well, if we're gonna welcome aboard a new member…" Yosuke was about to suggest it, but Yukiko finished his sentence. "Should we take him to our special headquarters?"

Chie glanced at the two. "…We're still calling it that…?"

"Wh-What's that!?" Kanji was startled to hear about this 'special headquarters'. Yosuke grinned at the blonde boy. "C'mon, let's go!"

Well, if anyone had overheard them while they were coming up to the roof, they wouldn't understand a thing the group were talking about. The four teenagers then led the newest addition to their team to where their 'special headquarters' were…

~*~*~*~*~*~

…Which was the food court at Junes. Like usual.

Kanji had bought himself some grilled steak which he was eating at the moment. Yosuke sighed. "Man, you eat a lot… were you listening to what we were saying?" he asked, somewhat annoyed. Kanji stopped eating for a moment to answer, his mouth still full of food. "Huh? Shurr, I waf lifnin'."

"Close your mouth!"

The blonde boy took a few seconds to clear his mouth. "So, uh… someone's killing people with a TV…? What, is he beating them to death?"

"No, they weren't being beaten with a TV! Were you listening at all…?"

The look on Kanji's face said it all.

Chie just smiled. "Don't worry, he'll understand once he sees the place with his own eyes." Then, her expression turned serious. "But the way it happened was just the same as with Yukiko. The killer kidnapped him first, then threw him into the TV."

"Yeah… it's scary…" Yukiko nodded slowly. It meant that the killer might strike again soon and do the exact same thing they did with her and Kanji… and who knows when that may be?

Nearby, there were a pair of male students gossiping about a show… the Midnight Channel, apparently. It confirmed the group's fears – other people were watching it. One of them even said that they knew that a certain someone would be the next one to appear. "What's that dude's name? That first-year who used to be in a biker gang…"

Suddenly, Kanji got up from his seat and turned to glare at the two. "Who the hell d'you think was next? His name is Kanji Tatsumi… and he wasn't in a biker gang - he's the one who beat the shit out of those leathered-up pansies. So who are you dipshits…!?"

Immediately, the two boys ran off. Kanji huffed and sat back into his seat. "Feh… boring."

Chie sighed, knowing the feeling. "I can't stand it… sure, they have no idea it's related to the murders, but still… how can they talk about their schoolmate like that?"

"They're like onlookers at a car crash. As long as it's not happening to them, they're dying to see…" Yosuke explained to her. He was right about that – it was how society worked, strangely enough. "Damn, this sucks… we don't even know who's gonna be targeted anymore."

"This case disproved our assumption that all the victims are female…" Yukiko said to start it off. "What was the other thing we thought they had in common?" Chie asked, trying to remember.

"People involved in the initial case, about Ms. Yamano, are the targets… how about that?"

That was more of a loose-ended idea… Yu shook his head. "I don't think it holds up now."

"Hmm. Think we're wrong about this one too?" Chie asked. Yosuke shrugged, looking unsure. "I dunno… that announcer was involved with their mothers, not them. We haven't come up with a reason yet why the killer would target their children."

"You guys sayin' you don't have any clues? Well listen up, 'cause I got somethin' big," Kanji then told them, smiling proudly as he took out what looked like a small piece of paper.

"What's that?"

"When I made my comeback at school today, there was an annoying brat hanging around. Turns out he was snooping around about Senpai's and my disappearance, so I took this from him. I dunno what the hell this all is, though."

"Uh, and you took it anyway?" Chie looked at Kanji incredulously. "Just let it be, Chie," Yu told her as he reached over to the blonde boy to take the paper. Since he was a little short, Kanji had to reach over as well to pass the paper over to him.

The smaller boy almost flinched as their fingers brushed, but nonetheless he managed to grab the paper and went back to his seat, acting normal. Taking a closer look, he noticed that there were a number of lists… but one in particular made him feel like something just went off in his head.

This might just be it… the one hint to how the killer picked their victims.

Whoever the guy Kanji took this paper from, he had seen something the Investigation Team had never even considered. So, Yu began to read out the 'list of TV programs' as stated on the paper. "This is the list of TV programs. Mayumi Yamano, April 11th… Saki Konishi, April 13th…"

Yosuke listened with confusion. "What're these dates? April 11th…?"

Chie then recalled what the date meant. "Oh, they found the first body on the day school started, so that would have been… the 12th. The 11th is the day before that…"

"I know I can't forget the day Saki-senpai's body was found… that was the 15th. So then, what are these dates? And what does 'List of TV programs' mean? What's 'Saki Konishi, April 13th'…?"

"It's… the day she was on TV..." Yu answered him, recalling that day being the same day he had first met Saki at Junes. His answer brought some sense to Yosuke. "I see… yeah, there's no doubt about it. Oh yeah… I saw that, too. They were interviewing her because she found the first body."

"Then this part… 'Mayumi Yamano, April 11th'. Is that the day she appeared on TV, too…?" Yukiko wondered. Chie's eyes widened as she started to remember that particular day. "Oh, she was on! I remember now! That was when the affair hit the news!"

Yosuke then realised something. "Hey, wait a sec… Yukiko, didn't you get interviewed too? When did that interview air!?" he asked the black-haired girl. "I-I think it was when I was absent from school… um…" Yukiko looked at Yu. "It was the day after I met you on the embankment. I had my kimono on… do you remember?"

Yu nodded. "I remember." That day, he was practically aching all over after fighting Yosuke's shadow… a little reminder to himself to not underestimate the Shadows in the TV world.

"I went shopping that day, so… April 15th! And right after that, I was kidnapped."

Then Yosuke looked at Kanji. "Kanji! What about the television special you were on!?"

"Oh yeah, that thing… damn show made my mom go apeshit on me and…" Kanji muttered as he scratched his head, but he was interrupted by the brunette boy. "The date! Just tell us the date!"

"Uhhh, I don't remember the exact date… but it wasn't too long before I met you guys."

At those words, Yosuke slumped into his seat. There was no denying it now. "It's true, then… everyone was on TV before they disappeared," he murmured. "So, you think the killer's targeting people he sees on TV…?" Chie asked him. "I was so caught up with the news reports about the incidents that I didn't notice at all…" Yukiko admitted, surprised at this revelation.

"It can't be a coincidence. It all matches up…" Yu told them. He's confident that this is the killer's modus operandi, or manner of working, so to speak. Yosuke thought about it for a short moment. "Now that I think about it… when the killer failed with Yukiko, they moved to Kanji instead of trying again… maybe this 'being on TV' thing is some stupid rule that the killer's following."

Chie nodded. "That's right… the killer could've targeted the same victim again…"

"I think there's a definite connection here between the kidnapping and the TV broadcasts. The victims weren't just involved with the first case. They were also shown on the mass media."

"That must be it…"

"But if so… what's the motive? Why kill someone just because they were on TV? Argh… dammit, now that I think about it, we haven't gotten anywhere! Why can't I be smarter…!?" Yosuke gritted his teeth as everyone except Kanji lowered their heads.

"Dude, why beat yourself up? I think you guys are awesome," Kanji told them all. "I mean, you guys noticed what was happening to me and risked your lives to stop it. That's more than enough."

Yukiko looked at her three classmates. "You rescued me, too. We may not have solved the mystery, but we've saved two people already."

"That's true, but…" Yosuke averted his eyes from the two. They did save two, but there were also two people who were already lost to this mystery… and he couldn't do a single thing about it. "What's more, everyone's deduction that Kanji-kun might be next was right on the nose," Yukiko continued, not letting him continue to let himself down.

Chie groaned, being reminded of their failure to stop Kanji from being kidnapped. "I know! We were so close."

Hearing that, Kanji looked at the group in surprise. "Huh? You knew before it happened? Damn, I wish you guys'd come a little earlier, then…"

They all shared a small laugh at that.

Chie felt a bit better now, smiling. "Well, if we know this much, I think we can outsmart the killer next time. Then it's a countdown to their arrest."

"Don't forget, it's always possible that Kanji-kun was the last target," Yukiko added. It's a hopeful thought, but still quite unlikely. Yosuke sighed. "Or so we hope… we've thwarted them twice already. Here's hoping the killer's learned their lesson by now. Anyways, let's keep checking the Midnight Channel like usual when it rains."

Everyone nodded, knowing that they have a 'job' to see who the next victim would be if the killer decided to strike once more.

Chie then remembered something. "That reminds me… the school campout's next week. I hope it doesn't rain…" She looked at the blonde boy. "It's for both the first-year and second-year students, so we'll see you there, Kanji-kun."

"Seriously? School, huh…? What a drag…" Kanji didn’t look too excited to go back to school again. He glanced at Yosuke. "Yo, mind if I order another grilled steak? I'm gonna finish this one up while the next one's on the grill. We're… going Dutch on the meal, right?"

His question went unanswered as Chie suggested that they go introduce Kanji to a certain someone. "Well, let's get going. I think our new teammate needs to meet Mr. Bear."

After a moment of silence, Kanji stared at them all in confusion. "Huh? What's up? …Fine, whatever… I'll go for something cheap, like ramen. Wait, or should I get a takoyaki set…? Man, I can't decide."

"None of it," Yukiko merely told him.

"Whaaat!?"

…Well, they'll show him once he finishes eating.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They met up with Teddie in the TV world so they could introduce Kanji to him while also getting him the pair of glasses he would need for when he travels this world with them.

Kanji stared at Teddie for a moment. "Oh yeah… now that you mention it, I kinda remember this thing… didn't think it was a bear, though." He looked at Yosuke. "Hey, why IS it a bear?"

The brunette boy shrugged. "Dunno."

"Me neither. I've been wondering too," Teddie told the blonde boy, looking sad. Kanji stared at the bear with a small blush on his cheeks. "I-It's kinda cute…" he whispered to himself. "M-Mind if I pet you?" he asked Teddie.

"No touching allowed, Mister."

"Wha--!? Don't give me any lip, bear!"

Yukiko covered her mouth as she laughed at the scene. Kanji just shook his head. "Tch…" He looked at her. "Uhh… by the way, I been wondering. You were kidnapped too, right, Yukiko-senpai?"

"Huh…? Yeah, it wasn't long before you," Yukiko then answered, a bit surprised at the question.

"So like, that means you came out to everyone too?"

"Th-That's… um…"

"What was it like for Senpai-" Before Kanji could even finish, he was suddenly slapped by Yukiko. "Urgh!"

Yu winced at that. Ouch…

"Oh, sorry… I didn't mean to hit you so hard…" Yukiko took a step back when she realised what she had done. Kanji felt his jaw a bit. It hurt like hell. "M-My jaw…"

"I'll be more gentle next time…"

"More… gentle…?"

Chie sighed, shaking her head. "What a pair of dimwits…"

"Oh yeah! Here's a present from me, Kanji! It's to celebrate you joining the team!" Teddie told the blonde boy, approaching him to give him a pair of glasses. "Ah, so these are the glasses you guys told me about," Kanji commented as he observed the pair of glasses he was given.

"Hurry and put them on," Yukiko urged him.

"Huh? S-Sure… but hang on, aren't these different from everyone else's?" Kanji then put them on… to reveal that the glasses were actually the weird looking ones. Why Teddie makes them, it's a mystery of its own… but they're hilarious.

After a moment of total silence, Yukiko began to laugh. "I-It looks perfect on you… heehee… snrk… ahahahaha!"

Yosuke laughed too. "Haha, damn, dude. It looks great on you!"

Yu almost laughed, but he was able to control himself this time so he just smiled at the sight. "I had a normal pair ready for you. But Yuki-chan insisted on this one. She wouldn't budge!" Teddie admitted. Kanji glared at the bear and took off the glasses he was wearing, throwing them into Teddie's face. "Yeah, real funny, you smartass!"

"Wh-Why are you taking it out on me!?"

"Gimme that!" Kanji then grabbed the other pair of glasses that Teddie just so happened to be holding, putting it on.

…It was the same goofy pair of glasses.

This time, Yu burst out laughing alongside everyone else except Kanji, probably even harder.

"You took my spare pair… Kanji, you must really like those!" Teddie jokingly said. Kanji grew embarrassed and angrily took off the glasses, turning around to throw them off into the foggy distance where they will be no chance of retrieval. Then he took the ones Teddie offered him, this time the real pair of glasses.

"This is the real one. It wasn't easy getting it to you," Teddie informed him. "Why the hell did you bother making a spare if it's more useless crap…!?" Kanji shouted at the bear. "Dammit! I'll get you guys for this someday!"

Everyone just kept on laughing… Yu felt like he hasn’t laughed like this in a long while. Who knew that this would be that funny?

* * *

 

The next day went on like normal.

Yu decided to join band practice in the afternoon after Ayane had asked him if he could join it today for the rehearsal. He was genuinely surprised to hear her play the trombone much better than she did the last time they practiced together.

When practice was over, the two of them met up.

Ayane greeted him happily. "Senpai! I'm going to the river to practice!" she told him. "It's so peaceful there. There's even a little roof nearby, so I can still practice when it's raining. I've been going there every day, even when we don't have rehearsal. I need all the practice I can get!"

A sad smile appeared on her lips as she looked down at the floor. "It may be a lost cause, but… I might as well try." Then, she looked at Yu. "It's all thanks to you, Senpai. If I'd been on my own… I would've given up."

Yu smiled at her. "Hey… it's not all me either. You got yourself this far."

Ayane smiled back as she blushed. "Senpai… I… I'll make it a performance to be proud of… for both of us…" She beamed at her Senpai with such happiness. "…I want to make you smile."

For once, Yu found himself trying to hide his awkwardness at those words, feeling the small girl's affection for him. Although it did result in the strengthening of their bond and the _Sun Social Link_ … this might have unforeseen consequences.

Ayane didn't know of the problem the silver-haired boy was going through as she kept on smiling, now blushing shyly. "Uh… well… I'll be on my way now!"

"Ah, okay. Bye, Ayane."

The two of them then parted, leaving Yu to walk back home after practice. He just hoped that Ayane didn't end up falling for him… otherwise, it'll be both sad and hard for him to reject her feelings…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Yui was checking her calendar to take a proper look at the dates… and soon realised that tomorrow was an important one – she had accidentally overlooked it while she was so busy thinking about the upcoming test next Tuesday.

Quickly taking out her phone, she dialled up her grandfather's secretary again. "C'mon… pick up…" She paced around her room as she waited for an answer.

Eventually, a voice answered. _"Yui, is there a problem? I thought I already told you before…"_

"It's not about that, Mr. Tadashi. Tomorrow is…" Yui couldn't bring herself to say it. Her chest throbbed with pain at the very thought of it.

_"…Oh. Right. What do you… want me to do for tomorrow?"_

"M-maybe… bring a bouquet of flowers for her. She always… did love flowers."

_"Alright… I can get that done tomorrow quickly. Anything else…?"_

"Um… clean her… y'know…"

_"I understand. What else?"_

"I think… that's all I can ask for." Yui was breathing deeply as she spoke. She always was the only one who remembered to do at least something on that very day, even if she wasn't around. She didn't know what her grandfather did, though.

She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't do anything for all these years since _her_ passing.

_"Yui… will you be alright tomorrow? I can send a letter to your teachers if you don't feel like going to school…"_

"No. No… it's okay. It's okay, Mr. Tadashi. I can handle it."

_"Are you sure?"_

"Yes, I'm sure. Just… do what I asked, please. Goodnight."

_"…Okay. Goodnight, Yui."_

The call ended, leaving Yui standing in her room in silence. She put her phone back into her pocket, sighing heavily. To think that she almost forgot what day was tomorrow…

…She'll have to find some time to pray for her grandmother after school the next day.

* * *

 

Right after school ended, Yu quickly began to clear up his things while telling the others that he was busy that day… yet as he was about to move from his desk, Mr. Morooka entered the room and approached him with that lousy look on his face. "Hey, Narukami! Did you know this week is health week? And you're not part of the Student Health Association! In other words, you're a lazy bum! I hate lazy, good-for-nothing kids like you! So I'm signing you up to take the place of a sick member!"

Chie frowned at that. "That's not fair…"

"Quiet, you!" Mr. Morooka glared at the silver-haired boy. "I don't know what school's like for you big city kids, but here, it's every student's duty to pitch in! Don't tell me you're not enough of a man to do something this easy."

"I… fine… I'll do it." Yu had no other choice but to do as his teacher said, even though today was one of the most important days in his life. The bloody asshole teacher had signed him up too – he can't run away from it.

"I see, I see. Then go straight to the infirmary, right now. They should be expecting you, since I already told them you'd do it. Thank me!" The teacher then left. Yu sighed and decided to head down to the infirmary. "Um, good luck…" Chie called out to him.

"…Thanks." The silver-haired boy soon left the classroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu solemnly entered the infirmary, seeing that there were other students inside.

"Oh, Yu-kun, was it? The transfer student, right…? Did you get hurt or something?" One of the female students asked him. "No, no… I've been sent here to replace a sick member," Yu told them.

"Thank goodness. We were running low on people. We need to check around the school to see if anyone needs help, but someone has to stay and watch this room. Yu-kun, would you mind staying here and dealing with anyone that stops by? No touching the medicine, of course. "

Yu tried not to sigh as he answered. Of course he minded – today was his grandmother's death anniversary. He's supposed to go somewhere quiet to pray for her, not be stuck in this… infirmary. "Not at all… what do I have to do?"

"If someone who's hurt shows up, use the first aid kit. The only other things you'd have to worry about are salesmen and phone calls. They're pretty uncommon, though."

"…Alright."

~*~*~*~*~*~

So the Student Health Association then split up throughout the school… Yu waited for the time to pass, pacing around the room anxiously. How much longer does he have to stay here…?

Then, the sound of the door opening broke him out of his thoughts. He glanced over at the door, noticing a man dressed in a suit. "Hello, I'm Kitao from Santo Pharmaceuticals." The man looked around for a moment. "Hm, aren't there any adults here? Could you deliver a message for me, then?"

Yu nodded. "What is it?"

"Your school placed an order for gauze, but I need to know if the order can wait until the month after next. Give my regards to your teacher."

"I will." The silver-haired boy quickly grabbed a note from a table nearby to write the information down after the man left. If he's going to be stuck here, he'll at least do his job right. But damn if his urge to just storm out of the room wasn't so strong right now…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Eventually, the other students returned.

"Thanks for your help. Anything happen?" One of the asked. "A representative from the pharmaceutical company came while you were out," Yu answered them.

"Oh, we should have Sensei call him back. Do you remember his name?"

Yu then looked at the note where he had written down the details. "It was… Kitao from Santo Inc."

"Oh, about the gauze, huh? What did he say?"

"Can it come in two months?"

"Hmmmm… got it. I'll call Sensei."

So the student went to relay the message to the teacher in charge.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After that student returned, the small group started to discuss about what they found while they went around the school. Yu did notice that they talked about a student that wasn't here by the name of Konishi… and after a small while, someone came to the infirmary.

"I'm sorry I'm late." The boy had light brown hair, reminiscent of… someone Yu had seen before.

"N-No, it's okay! You don't have to come, really. Helping out at your parents' store is hard work, right? We have a replacement, so don't worry," One of the students told him.

"…I don't want to be the only one…"

"Well… you can help Yu-kun clean up this room, then. We'll go report to the teacher, so why don't you clean a little and go home, okay? W-Well, goodbye!"

Everyone except Yu and the brunette boy left the infirmary. The silver-haired boy was a bit uneasy at the blank stare the other student was giving him. "…I'm Konishi… a first year. You knew Saki Konishi? I'm her brother. You're friends with… Hanamura, right?"

"…Yes, I am," Yu answered slowly.

"...I hate him… and you, too."

An awkward silence fell between the two after those words were spoken. Saki's brother looked at him with disinterest. "Can I go home now…?"

Yu stared at him with a bit of hesitance… before nodding. "Sure… you can go…" He's going to be terribly late now, but he couldn't bring himself to stay another moment in this infirmary with Saki's brother, not with the tense air between them now.

"…Goodbye." The younger boy then left, leaving Yu to clean up the place on his own. When he did finish, he made sure that the other members didn't return before finally rushing out of the infirmary and the school.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Damn it!" Yu cursed to himself as he ran through the flood plains. The sun was already going down… it'll be past his curfew by the time he reaches the shrine at the central shopping district. Slowly down, he panted heavily while he placed his hands on his knees.

He's too late.

Holding back the stinging feeling of tears in his eyes, he just grunted and rubbed his eyes before any drops of tears could fall. Now what is he going to do? He would always let his grandfather's secretary do the visit for the grave while he'll do a small prayer for his grandmother… but for once, he was in a place foreign to him despite being here for nearly two months now.

A shaky breath escaped his lips as he straightened himself, letting his silver grey eyes look up to the sight above him. The stars were beginning to break through the evening sky… the day was slowly turning to night now.

…The gentle sound of the river nearby played in his ears.

Maybe… he could pray for her there. It's quiet… and peaceful. No one would be there at this time. He may not know the proper way to pray for a person who has already passed on, but… it'll have to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Standing in front of the flowing river, Yu quietly prayed for his grandmother. She was the only one who didn’t care if he was a girl – what was important was that he was her grandchild… and she gave him the love and care he so dearly wanted and needed in his younger days.

Yet, she passed on when he was in his second year of school. She had inadvertently left him to deal with his grandfather's antics on his own, and the pressure from literally everyone to be the perfect child. He doesn't blame her for it, though.

He can only blame himself for his weakness, and it's a weakness he must not ever show to anyone else.

After a few moments in the soft sound of the streaming water, Yu eventually finished praying for his grandmother. He got up from where he knelt, ignoring the pain of the stones by the river pressing into his knees the whole time. "Rest in peace, grandmother…" he whispered, turning to leave.

…Then, Yu quietly began to hum a song that his grandmother once sang to him, with the tune being drowned out by the noise of the river.

~*~*~*~*~*~

" _Where_ have you been, Yu?"

Yu had expected that his uncle would question him for being out so late the moment he entered the house. "I had to help the Student Health Association. A teacher signed me up without telling me."

Dojima sighed. "That shouldn't take too long, though. You came home when the sun had already gone down – you were doing something in the time after you left school. What is it?" he asked again sternly. Yu somehow felt the need to stand his ground. "It's nothing to worry about, uncle."

"Don't give me that. Tell me _why_ , Yu."

The silver-haired boy gripped his hands into fists, trying to hold back the rising urge to yell at his uncle. "I can't…"

Ryotaro frowned at his nephew. The last thing he wanted to happen was Yu going back to his delinquent ways – he knew exactly how the boy acted back in junior high. "Do you want me to shorten your curfew time, Yu?"

"No…!"

"Then tell me why!"

_"It's the damn day my grandmother died!_ "

Yu's sudden yell silenced his uncle immediately.

Nanako looked at the two in worry. "Why are you two fighting…?" she asked, almost like she was going to cry. The teenage boy stared at his cousin as he finally realised what he just did, his mind clearing up from the fog of despair that clouded it. "N-no… we're not, Nanako, I… I'm just…" He didn't know how to exactly describe how he felt.

It was… a jumbled mess of emotions.

A sigh was the only thing that left Yu's lips as he went over to Nanako to hug her. "I'm just a bit… sad. Something bad happened today, but I'm not fighting with your dad."

Nanako hugged him back, looking tearful. "Really, big bro…?"

"Really."

Dojima looked on in silence as his nephew and daughter hugged each other for a while, until the latter felt sleepy… so he let Yu take her to bed first.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They had a talk.

"So… today is your grandmother's death anniversary…?" Dojima asked his nephew with a concerned look. Yu wordlessly nodded, his eyes looking tired. "It's been about nine years… I was out late because… I wanted to pray for her before I got home."

"…You could've just told me, Yu. We could pray for her here."

"You're too busy, uncle." The silver-haired boy bitterly smiled. "My problems are too much of a burden to put on others. Plus, I don't want Nanako to mourn over someone else…" He knew the reason why this family seemed broken. He didn't want to break it even further.

His response made his uncle frown slightly. "You shouldn't think that way… it's not healthy for a kid like you to handle things all by yourself."

"I know. I still have to, uncle. My grandfather wishes… no, he wants to have an heir that is capable of doing things on his own."

Ryotaro sighed, shaking his head. "I still don't understand why your mother just makes you go through all this… but let me tell you something – no one can stand under that pressure for so long. One day, you will break, and you'll need someone to help you get back up."

Yu stared at his uncle with a blank expression. "…I believe that I can avoid that from happening." He's lived this long.

"Don't be so confident," The man advised him with a serious tone. "It can happen one day. I'm just warning you to be careful."

"I'll… keep that in mind." Yu then glanced at the clock and saw the time, deciding to use it as an excuse for him to go up to his room. His uncle nodded and told him goodnight, and soon the silver-haired boy went up to his room to run away from the growing awkwardness between them.

He lost his composure back there.

…He shouldn’t let it happen again. Ever.


	18. Summer Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the test looms closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's pretty mini... but the next one should be more fun. But we got more interaction with Yosuke this time!

After yesterday's events, Yu didn't feel fairly energetic to do anything strenuous… but when he saw the look on Yosuke's face, he knew that he had to set aside his own thoughts for now. So, he asked him if he wanted to talk.

The brunette merely nodded in response… so here they were, down at the flood plains after having wandered there.

Yosuke was holding onto something, seemingly pensive. "…I found this. It's a Print Club sticker I took with Saki-senpai… when I first got here, she insisted on taking it…" He shut his eyes tightly. "Back then… somewhere inside me, I thought I was above this place… a lot of people saw me as the enemy, because Junes was going to ruin the shopping district…"

Then, he looked at Yu. "But… when I met her, she told me, 'Parents are parents. You're you…'. Even if she didn't really mean it… it made me happy. Because of her… I started to think maybe this town wasn't all that bad." He grit his teeth. "But then…"

"…She died?" Yu finished his sentence in a quiet voice.

Yosuke's breath hitched as he started to cry. "Why…? Why did she… have to… die…? It pisses me off… it makes me mad! I wanted to talk with her more! I wanted to get to know her better! But…" His shoulders slumped, his body wracked with sobs. "She's… not here anymore."

Despite saying all that, he still managed to straighten himself with tears streaming down his face. "Yu… I get it now… I wanted to forget about Saki-senpai. How she's not here anymore… I wanted to forget that… I was living a boring life in the middle of nowhere. When the murders started, I got excited. I thought there was finally a point to me being in Inaba… I thought I could forget Senpai was gone, and the fact that I was such a loser… I jumped at the murders and never once thought about what I was doing…"

He lowered his head, his face grief-stricken. "I… didn't even take the first step… I'm sorry… Saki-senpai. I'm sorry… Yu."

Yu shook his head at that. "Don't apologize."

Yosuke then looked at him, his eyes red. "But… I got you involved with the case, and all I did was run away from myself… but I think I'm awake now… I need to get over the fact that Saki-senpai isn't coming back… that when this case ends… I'll have nowhere to run… and I won't have changed…" He fell quiet for a moment. "…You made me realise that."

"Yosuke…" Yu stared at him with sadness, seeing just how badly Saki's death had affected him in these very moments. But now he could understand that pain… and so as a bond formed between them both, the _Magician Social Link_ grew stronger too.

The brunette boy broke his gaze to look at the ground again. "Yu… I think I'm all cried out…" he murmured.

Yu didn't hesitate at all as he approached his best friend and just hugged him. Yosuke merely stood there as he spoke quietly. "You dumbass… that's for girls… it hurts, dammit…" He began to cry again… and the silver-haired boy just held him there in his arms until he stopped crying.

Then, Yu walked Yosuke home for the day…

~*~*~*~*~*~

At night, Yu wanted to talk to his uncle about something else other than what happened the other night. He wanted that night to remain… as a night that they wouldn't speak about. So, when Dojima accepted his offer to talk, he asked him about the newspaper article he recalled the detective had been searching for.

"The newspaper article…? Oh… yeah, I found it. Were you worried about it?" Ryotaro looked away from his nephew for a moment in silence. "It's about Chisato… my wife. When she was killed by a hit-and-run…" He became quiet again.

Now it made sense… why he was looking for that article…

"…I told you before, right? About the case where we never had a suspect? Get it now…? There's nothing more I can say about it in this house. Let's stop there."

"Then let's go outside if you can't say it here," Yu told his uncle. He has taken up the mantle of trying to heal the father-daughter relationship between his uncle and Nanako – even if it means digging into a past his uncle seems reluctant to talk about.

Dojima stared at him in surprise, then he let out a weak chuckle. "Hah… you win…" He sighed, looking away. "She… Nanako's mother was run over on her way to pick up Nanako from nursery school. It was a cold day, and there were no witnesses, so they didn't find her until much later. Until they got word to me, Nanako was waiting all that time at the nursery… all alone. Waiting for a mother who would never come…" He glanced at where Nanako was but couldn't bring himself to look at her. "…I couldn't tell Nanako that her mother was killed. That her father, whose job is to catch criminals… couldn't find a single lead…" He then looked back at his nephew. "But I haven't given up. I'll catch the guy." Shutting his eyes, he nodded to himself. "I don't need a private life to do that… Nanako will understand."

"That's just an excuse."

The man's eyes widened in shock at his nephew's words. Yet somehow… he can't seem to say anything about it as he bit his lip. He soon broke his gaze to stare at somewhere. "Sorry… leave me alone for now."

"Alright… uncle." Yu got up from his seat to go to his room.

"…Yu."

The silver-haired boy looked at his uncle who stared back at him.

"Thanks."

Yu wordlessly nodded, sensing the pain Ryotaro bore in his heart… because he can now understand the reason for his uncle's actions, the _Hierophant Social Link_ grew stronger. Then he quietly left the living room and went to his room.

* * *

 

The next day, Yu was almost surprised to see Chie greeting him at the school gates. "Hey! Yo!"

"Oh, Chie. Hi." He got closer to her so they could talk. "Who do you think'll show up on the Midnight Channel next? I heard it's going to rain this evening, but it's not going to last all night," she told him. Yu shrugged. "Well, we'll just have to check it when it does rain through the night."

"I guess… hey, have you been trying to solve the case on your own in your spare time? I know, I should be thinking about it, too. But that kind of stuff just isn't my specialty. How about you?" Chie then asked. Yu smiled. "I'm good at reasoning." Mostly because of his training.

"I'm jealous." Chie pouted. "Well, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I'll stick to kicking things. So let's prepare ourselves! Times like this are perfect for working out!"

"Heh, you do you, then." Yu chuckled and soon entered with her, chatting as they did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They got together to eat some lunch when lunchtime played, and their lunch just so happened to be instant noodles. Although Yu was used to food that was… well, much better than just instant noodles, he was starting to actually develop a taste for them.

"You know, the rainy season's just about here," Yukiko said as she looked out the window, which was a bit fogged due to the rain outside. "Isn't it a little early?" Yosuke asked, pausing on his eating to do so.

"Once it starts, it'll be raining every night. We'll have to keep a constant eye on the Midnight Channel."

"Crap, I didn't even think of that… well, so it goes. Hehe, I thought you were worried about the rain 'cause of the school campout."

Chie looked at the brunette boy weirdly. "Why are you so excited about that?"

Yukiko then realised why. "That's right, it's the first time for you two…"

"You realize the only purpose of the school campout is to 'develop a love for one's hometown in young people', right?" Chie then informed him. "Yeah, they tell us that up front. So?" Yosuke replied, still not getting her point.

"Well you see, the way we supposedly develop that love is by picking up trash on the mountain."

Yosuke got up in horror. "P-Picking up trash? 'Develop a love' my ass! That's slave labour!"

Well, now that's a downer… yet Yu felt like he's not even surprised to know that. His experience with city schools gave him experiences that are even worse – picking up trash is like vanilla flavour compared to the rate of troublemakers there.

Which… he did become one at one point in his life.

"Well, the night's kinda fun. We cook our own meals with mess kits and sleep in tents," Chie told him. "The four of us are in the same group," Yukiko added. At those words, Yosuke tried to hold on to what hope he had left for the campout. "The same group, huh…? Does that mean we sleep together at night, too!?"

Chie shook her head. "You wish! Guys and girls sleep in different tents! I'm warning ya… if you leave your tent at night, you'll be expelled on the spot."

There goes Yosuke's hopes and dreams.

Yosuke groaned and sat back in his seat. "Ugh… this gets worse and worse. I thought it was gonna be fun…"

Yukiko giggled at his antics. "It's only for one night and we disband before noon the next day. It doesn't last very long."

"Oh… we did have some fun at the river before going home last year," Chie then said, remembering last year's campout. Yosuke perked up at that. "Do they let you go swimming?"

"I think so? There's always someone who takes a dip, although we didn't."

"I see… so you can swim in the river…" Yosuke looked very thoughtful at that. God only knows what he's up to at this point… Yu hoped it wasn't something related to swimming – otherwise, he really can't join them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu had decided that they'll go to the TV world today as Kanji had told him that he wanted to try out his abilities, so they all met up at Junes and soon entered the TV.

Teddie greeted them happily. "Welcome back! I've been so bored…" He looked at Yu. "Oh, by the way…! I sense a powerful Shadow at the steamy area where you found Kanji. I think this world is getting more and more unstable… I just want to live here in peace… Sensei, could you defeat the Shadow at the steamy place?"

"Another Shadow, huh…? Sure." Yu smiled at the bear, giving him a quick rub on the head. "S-Sensei…!" Teddie couldn't help but purr at the touch – somehow, the silver-haired boy's hand was so soft like Yukiko's…

Yu laughed a bit and went to go ask Kanji if he knows where the sauna is. He knows that the blonde boy would be hesitant to go there, but they need to go there… and he still has no idea why a warm feeling grows within his chest whenever he looked at him.

Is it nervousness?

…He doesn't know.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They all went to the sauna, but Teddie stopped them before they entered. Apparently, something bad might happen if they all went in at once, so they shouldn't go in as groups larger than four. Yu had to make a choice on who to bring with him… so he picked Kanji, Yosuke and Yukiko to go along with him.

Once they were ready, they entered the sauna and began the journey up the floors to defeat the Shadow that now resided at the top.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They struggled to defeat the shadow at the top floor, but with Yu's guidance and everyone's determination to hold through the battle, they won.

"Great job, guys." Yu smiled at the others after they won their victory over the strong Shadow. He approached the slightly elevated part of the floor and soon noticed a thick iron plate on the ground. Then he glanced at Kanji who was using a holding chair as a weapon… maybe this iron plate would be better than that. "Hey, Kanji."

"Huh? Yeah, Senpai?" Kanji looked over at him. Yu approached him and gave him the iron plate. "Here, this should be much better than the folding chair you're using. It's pretty thick." He knocked on the plate, letting the sound tell them both just how thick it was.

"Oh, cool!" Kanji grinned excitedly as he checked out the iron plate. "Thanks, Senpai!"

"Don't mention it." Yu chuckled, feeling quite happy to see how thrilled the blonde boy was at the new weapon. Plus, they just defeated another big shadow, so it's probably time they went back home…

* * *

 

Saturday started with a rainy morning but ended on a cloudy afternoon.

Yu was about to leave when he noticed a female student looking troubled. "Is there something bothering you?" he asked her. She sighed. "I'm tired of coming to school. I can't believe they let that Tatsumi in here. I hear he started his own gang and goes around bullying people. How did I get to be in the same class as him…? He's out snooping around the Practice Building right now. How scary is that?"

The silver-haired boy stared at her in silence. That can't be true… but he still had to check on Kanji, just to make sure the rumours weren't true.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Entering the Practice Building, Yu looked around for Kanji and soon spotted him looking in on some club. "Kanji!" he called out to him as he approached the blonde boy. Kanji flinched and quickly broke his staring. "Whoa, Yu-senpai! I-I wasn't peeping inside! It's not like that!"

The silver-haired boy just stared at him with a look that more or less said he's not falling for that excuse.

Kanji cleared his throat. "…So, why are you making that scary face at me? Do you have something to tell me?"

"I do, actually."

"…I see. Let's go somewhere else, then."

Yu nodded. "Come to the flood plains with me." He began to walk ahead, letting Kanji follow him from behind…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two then headed down to the flood plains so they could talk.

Yu then turned to face Kanji once they reached there, managing to stay calm. The blonde boy was pretty direct with his way of talking. "Whaddaya want, dragging me out here? Oh, you here to tell me off or somethin'?" he asked him. The smaller boy shook his head. "No, I'm just here to talk."

"How come you're soundin' like a cop?" Kanji looked at him with some suspicion. "So, what is it?"

For a moment, Yu wondered if he should soften the blow a little… but sometimes, it's just better to be direct with it. "I heard some rumours that said you started a gang of bullies and were bullying people… I just wanted to ask you to make sure."

At those words, the blonde boy got tense. "Eh? Bullies? M-Me!? Senpai, you suspecting me!?"

"Of course not! I want to believe in you…" Yu told him, his gaze softening. Kanji sighed and shook his head. "Senpai… I didn't do it. I mean… maybe it ain't that easy to trust me, since they say that I was in a gang… but you gotta believe me…" He averted his gaze away from the older boy, seeming guilty. "…'s my own fault rumours like that go around, huh…? At this rate, I'll be causing trouble for you guys…"

"Don't worry about it, Kanji."

"Senpai…" Kanji lifted his head to notice that Yu was giving him a reassuring smile. "…Uhh…" He felt a bit awkward to ask, but something about the boy in front of him was… making him feel like he could trust him. "Whenever you got time… could you maybe hear what I have to say? I feel all cramped inside… and I'm too dumb to know what it's about…"

As clumsy as he is, it seemed that Kanji was looking for an opportunity to change… Yu nodded, still smiling. "Sure, I'll see when I have the time." Even now, he could feel a faint bond forming between himself and the younger boy… and as a result, the _Emperor Social Link_ of the _Emperor Arcana_ was established.

"To make sure I don't cause you any trouble… huh…" Kanji scratched the back of his head in silence for a moment. "Well, I guess I should smack that gang of bullies around?" he suggested, to which Yu nervously laughed. "I think you better just let it be…"

Eventually, they both just talked with each other for a while before finally parting ways for the day.

It took Yu a while to notice, but… he felt quite relaxed around Kanji for some reason. Whatever that is, he didn’t know… but who cares? It just meant that he feels alright around the blonde boy…

…Right?

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Yu arrived home, the first thing he noticed was that Nanako looked troubled about something. Second was that Dojima wasn't home. "Something the matter, Nanako?"

"Oh, big bro…" The little girl was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure… what is it?" Yu approached his cousin and sat opposite of her at the small table in the living room. Nanako looked down for a moment, before getting up and going over to her cousin to whisper her question into his ear. The silver-haired boy blinked when he heard it. "Oh…"

This… could be hard to explain.

"…Well, Nanako…" Yu slowly spoke, trying to think of a way to explain it. "It's like this…"

So he told her about what she had asked him – life and death. He tried to make it simpler so she could understand, but it's tough for a girl of Nanako's age to comprehend most of its concepts. Even he didn't understand why his grandmother was gone until two years after her passing.

 By the time he finished explaining, Nanako was trying to understand his words. "I see... this is hard... but I get it! Thank you, big bro!" She nodded her head cheerfully. Yu was curious as to why she was asking, but he decided to let it be. "Is there anything else…?"

"Well, ummm... oh, there is!" Nanako's eyes were gleaming as she then asked her second question. "What happens to a person... when they die?"

Yu wistfully smiled. "…They go to heaven."

His answer made Nanako smile happily. "So, it is true. Mommy went to heaven." She giggled at the thought of her mother being happy and at rest in heaven... then remembered something she just saw on the news. "Oh, yeah, I saw this on the news: 'Robbery at the post office'." She was quiet for a few seconds. "Why do bad people do bad things?"

At that question, Yu thought carefully on how to answer. There were many reasons… but Nanako couldn't possibly understand them all. He decided that she was better off not knowing for now. "I don't know, Nanako…"

Nanako nodded in understanding. "I see... you're not a bad person, so I guess you wouldn't know." She looked relieved, in fact. Her expression soon fell, though. "But if there were no bad people, Dad would be home more... last year, there weren't many crimes, so Dad was here a lot. He used to pick me up from kindergarten..." She fell quiet again. "…Are bad people more important to Dad than I am?"

"He's protecting you," Yu answered her, although he was stretching the truth a bit. But it still counted as protecting her…

The little girl frowned slightly. "…I don't get it." She started to think about it.

Now, Yu could see that his cousin was bearing her sadness stoically… he can sense the loneliness she felt due to her father's busyness with work. In a sense, she was like him.

…The _Justice Social Link_ grew stronger.

Eventually, Nanako spoke up again. "...Let's talk about something else, big bro."

Yu nodded to her suggestion. "Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

So, they began to talk about something different than their previous topic just moments ago until it began to get late… which then he put his cousin to bed before going to his own room.

* * *

 

That Sunday morning, Yu got a call from Yukiko who asked if he wanted to hang out for the day. Seeing that he had nothing better to do, he decided to agree to the suggestion and met up with her at Junes. She ended up bringing him to the grocery department.

Yukiko was looking over the many types of food with a troubled expression, before turning to face him. "Why are there so many different types of food...? Even eggs come in so many varieties..." she murmured, sighing.

With a small laugh, Yu smiled at her. "It's mostly because of a difference in brand, taste, quality and such. But anyway… are you making dinner at the inn?" he asked her.

Yukiko was surprised to hear his question, shaking her head. "No! I'd never dream of it! I don't think my food's nearly good enough to serve to the guests." Yet despite saying so, she looked happy. "I was just thinking of practicing my cooking... since I've decided to leave town... eating out all the time is bad for you, right? So I'm going to get some practice while I can!"

"Well, good luck on that."

"Thank you!" The black-haired girl nodded happily. Then, she remembered something. "Oh, yes. I was just thinking that maybe you could taste-test my food sometime... I want someone to eat it and let me know how it is. I thought I'd improve quicker that way... and knowing you, I'd get an honest opinion..." She nervously looked at Yu. "W-Will you...?"

Yu blinked a few times. Well… guess it wouldn't hurt to do that, so he just shrugged. "I don't mind."

"Really!? Thank you!" Yukiko smiled happily at him. She averted her gaze from the silver-haired boy for a moment. "When I obtained the power of Persona, I thought, 'I can do it...'. I used to think I couldn't do anything on my own, but maybe I really can... I depended on others up until now, but from this point on, I want others to depend on me..." A determined look soon appeared in her eyes. "I'll do my best!"

She has quite the iron will… even Yu could sense it from that look. He could feel himself grow closer to her, and with it, the _Priestess Social Link_.

After a few seconds, Yukiko looked around the place. "Now then, um... where do they sell lobsters?"

"Ah… that would be in the seafood section." Yu was starting to think that maybe he should've thought over his choices a bit better. Nonetheless, he helped the black-haired girl with her shopping before going back home for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Welcome home, big bro!" Nanako greeted her cousin back as Yu entered the house. "Oh, and I went shopping today, so the fridge is full with food."

"Okay, Nanako." The silver-haired boy smiled at the little girl before looking at the fridge. Maybe he could cook lunch for school tomorrow… so he set his bag down nearby before going over to the fridge, opening it.

He noticed that there was a lot more vegetables this time, and he spotted some potatoes…

…Yu eventually decided to make some potato salad with what he had. Getting the ingredients out, he first peeled the potatoes and boiled them. Once done with that, he went to prepare the rest. After a while, the potatoes grew soft and he took them out while being careful to not burn himself.

Grabbing a fork, he smashed the potatoes while they were still hot before adding some ham, onions and other ingredients to it, resulting in some nice potato salad. Smiling proudly, he put the food in the container he had used last time before cleaning up and going to bed.

He should really cook more often, but he wasn't much of an eater…

* * *

 

The next day was officially the first day of summer, so every student had to change into the uniforms for summer.

Yu was somewhat uneasy with the outfit as it merely consisted of his black uniform pants and a white short-sleeved school shirt. If he wasn't careful, his smaller frame could be visible through bright light or sweat… so he'll have to be more cautious this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yu decided to spend his time with Yosuke after he shared his food with the brunette boy during lunchtime earlier that day. Yosuke looked a lot better since the last time they hung out with each other…

This time, Yosuke brought him to a hill that overlooked the town.

"…I hated this place when I first came to Inaba. You can tell how small the town is from up here. But looking at it now... it's a nice town…" He smiled sadly. "Hey… cheer up," Yu told him, noticing the sadness in his friend's face.

The brunette boy chuckled, having a self-mocking smirk on his face. "If it were only that easy." He looked out at the town again. "I want to tell Saki-senpai something. That what's important... isn't where you are."

Yu glanced at him with some confusion. What did he mean by that…?

As if sensing the silver-haired boy's puzzlement, Yosuke then looked at him. "This town I hated so much? Now, I love it. There's still nothing here, but I have family and friends... and you. The important things are never far off... they're all around you."

…He looked down in slight embarrassment at his words. "I always wanted to be 'special'. I thought my life'd finally have meaning if I was 'special' to someone. That's why I was really excited when I got my Persona. But I really didn't need it... it's not what you have or what you can do... just being born, living your life... before you know it, you're already special to someone."

"You're right…" Yu smiled at the taller boy. Yosuke smiled back as he gazed at him. "Yeah... like you... you're special to me, you know?"

Through this moment, their relationship grew deeper as Yu could feel the warm truth Yosuke had for him… with it, the _Magician Social Link_ became stronger.

Yosuke then looked out at the view of the town again, grinning. "Alright, let's see if we can find everyone's house from here! There's Junes, and that's the main street, so... my house is there, the one with that funky roof. Meaning yours is..." He pointed at a familiar looking house.

"…Over there." It didn't take long for Yu to see where his uncle's house was, grinning as well when he saw it.

They both spent a long while with each other, talking on the hill until it got dark, to which they walked down the hill back to town together.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Along the way down, Yu heard his phone ring. "Who's calling at this hour…?" He raised an eyebrow as he took out his phone, still walking with Yosuke. "Excuse me for a moment," he told the brunette who nodded understandingly, then he answered the call. "Hello?"

_"Hello Yui, tomorrow's the test. I hope you haven't forgotten?"_

"…O-of course not, Mr. Tadashi." Yu tried to reply in a quiet voice, taken aback that his grandfather's secretary would call this early. "Can I call you later? I have a friend here with me…"

_"Oh, my apologies. Call me later then, Yui."_

"Okay, bye…" Yu ended the call after that. "Who's the guy? A relative?" Yosuke asked, curious as to who this 'Mr. Tadashi' was. The silver-haired boy was a bit hesitant to answer. "Um… he's more to… a friend of my parents."

"A friend, huh? Okay."

Thankfully, Yosuke didn't pry deeper… the two boys eventually said goodbye to each other once they reached town. Yu headed straight home, needing to talk to his grandfather's secretary on when and where to meet him.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

After finishing dinner with Nanako, Yui went upstairs and called her grandfather's secretary again while sitting on her sofa. These tests were normal occurrences to her by now, done either once a year or twice if her performance was lacklustre.

It didn't take long before someone answered the call. _"Yui?"_

"Mr. Tadashi, we can talk now."

_"Alright then… I think you know what to tell me by now."_

"Yes, well…" Yui had recalled that tomorrow would be a rainy day from the weather report on the news that she watched with Nanako earlier, so it would be easier for her to not be seen by anyone in town. "Do you know where my school is?"

_"Yasogami High School, was it? Yes, I do. It's after the flood plains."_

"Well, you can meet me there half an hour after three in the afternoon… I'll change my clothes at school, so we can go to the shopping district immediately. I know a place that sells textiles there."

_"In that case, it's settled then. I'll see you tomorrow?"_

"Yes, Mr. Tadashi. See you tomorrow… and goodnight."

_"Good night, Yui."_

The beeping sound that followed signalled the end of the call. Putting her phone back into her pocket, Yui went to ready her futon to sleep.

She's got a busy day tomorrow.


	19. Under the Umbrella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the test is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the day of the 'test' arrives... man, I was procrastinating a lot while trying to write this chapter. This chapter breaks the 'he when with people, she when alone' rule, so I'm warning ya a little early. Admittedly, I don't have the best grammar as English is my second language but I do understand it better than my classmates, and my ideas are pretty cliche and they probably suck... but anyway, this chapter's not as long as my regular ones, but it's focused mostly on the 'test' event, so... eh, enjoy? ;w;

Tuesday came quickly, and with it, the dark clouds of rain.

As school ended, Yu left his class and went to the boys' toilet while bringing along his school bag. He brought a change of clothes so he could change in a stall without going through the trouble of looking for a spot to do just that… and since it was raining, most students have gone home early other than those with activities, and that included his friends.

It took him a small while, but he eventually emerged from the stall fully dressed in a suit and tie, plus a pair of dress shoes. Taking a glance at the mirror, Yu quietly sighed as his eyes fell on the image formed on the reflective surface of it. He saw himself, looking much like a teenage boy that was dressed as a businessman.

…But he isn't a boy. He's just a crossdressing girl, forced to act as a man.

Prying his eyes away from his reflection, he left the toilet as quickly as he can and ignored the stares he got from the few students that saw him dressed like this. They can never understand the life he was living… nor the pressure of trying to reach the expectations his family had for him.

Yet… they're so much luckier than him.

If only he could be as carefree as they were.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Taking out her umbrella, Yui used it to walk out of the school compound and began to walk down the road to the flood plains. The further she walked, the sooner she noticed that another man dressed similarly like her was approaching with a black umbrella. A black car was a few feet behind the man, glistening dimly in wetness.

"Good evening, Miss Yui." It was Mr. Tadashi, who kept a serious expression at the sight of the girl dressed in a suit. "Shall we get going?"

"…Of course." The silver-haired girl nodded, letting her grandfather's secretary get closer to put the black umbrella over her head while she closed her own. When they reached the car, Mr. Tadashi let her enter first before going to the door where the driver's seat was and entered as well.

The car was much more luxurious than an average one, with a sleek design on the outside and a comfortable yet stylish look on the inside. It's no match to a limousine, but it's the closest one could get… and it was fit for an heir of a company.

Yui felt like this was overdoing it, though. But who were they to defy her grandfather's orders…?

~*~*~*~*~*~

As the car began to arrive at the central shopping district, Yui felt like she needed to take a moment to ready herself. "Mr. Tadashi… mind if we hold off the test for a short moment when we arrive?" she asked in a formal tone, acting like the perfect heiress.

"Well, Miss Yui… do not take too long." Mr. Tadashi looked at the silver-haired girl from the rear-view mirror. "But what will you do in that time?"

"Just a small visit to a place. It won't take but more than ten minutes."

"…Do as you wish, Miss Yui. I'll be waiting at the car."

"Thank you."

A visit to the shrine would be enough to calm her nerves.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The car was parked next to the sidewalk that was of the same side with the abandoned shrine and the textile shop Yui would be paying a visit to soon.

Getting out of the car after her grandfather's secretary – though for the test, Mr. Tadashi would be her temporary secretary – opened the door for her and had carefully set his umbrella over the both of them, she glanced at where the path leading up to the shrine was.

"Mr. Tadashi, I'll see you in less than ten minutes," she told the man, her gaze cold as steel as she looked up at him. She has taken up the image of an heiress without much trouble; a result of her training that was given by her grandfather. Mr. Tadashi can only nod. "Yes, Miss Yui."

Yui then opened her own umbrella, which was of a black colour this time, and walked her way towards the path to the shrine in silence, other than the sound of her quiet breathing and the pattering of the rain against the stone sidewalk.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Fox?" Yui called out to the fox as she arrived at the shrine, her expression now looking much softer unlike moment before. She lifted her head to look at the roof and soon noticed the fox there, to which it soon jumped off to land right behind her with an ema in its mouth.

She didn't miss the look in its eyes as it stared at her, seemingly with confusion at the outfit she was wearing.

"I have business to do today, little fox…" Yui murmured, gripping the handle of her umbrella tightly. "But do not worry. The wish on the ema has been fulfilled – the woman won't have to worry about snacks again." She gently smiled despite the pressure in her hands on her umbrella's handle.

The fox then happily spun around her legs before doing the same thing as before, checking the offertory box with a joyful yelp. The silver-haired girl chuckled at the sight. "Alright fox, I need to go now. I'll come by another day to see if you need my help again."

It yipped at her happily, sitting at the base of the stairs leading up to the shrine.

Yui silently turned around to leave, her smile falling.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I've finished."

Mr. Tadashi noticed the heiress walking down the path that led up to the shrine. "Shall we start the test, then, Miss Yui?" he asked her, using honorifics like he did earlier. "Yes, Mr. Tadashi. Come with me…" Yui answered with a solemn nod before she began to walk to where the textiles shop is.

It was just a few stores down from the car, and soon the two stopped in front of the textiles shop.

"Tatsumi Textiles… is this the place?" Mr. Tadashi asked her. She wordlessly nodded in response. "It's a shop that has lasted for a number of generations, according to what I've heard… it is actually a dye and clothes shop, but they do sell textiles here," she explained further. "This is enough… is it not?"

"Yes, it is enough... may I?"

Yui nodded again, letting Mr. Tadashi slide open the store doors for her. She approached it as she closed her umbrella, entering once she did. Her secretary followed shortly, closing his own umbrella as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh, welcome…" Mrs. Tatsumi stood up from where she sat on the elevated wooden floor when she then saw Yu enter with Mr. Tadashi. "Aren't you… Yukiko's friend?" she asked with a small smile, recognizing Yu's face from that day.

"Yes, I am. My name is Yu Narukami, and this is my helper, Mr. Tadashi," Yu greeted her formally, introducing his secretary first before they both bowed politely. Mrs. Tatsumi bowed as well, her smile still remaining on her gentle face. She was very much unlike her son. "Well, please come and take a seat here."

Yu shook his head, smiling softly. "Thank you, ma'am, but just here to buy some textiles and a clothing or two, if there are any available." He approached the wooden floor, looking up at the older woman. "May I see some of the textiles and clothes you have?"

"Give me a moment and I'll see what I have," Mrs. Tatsumi told him. Yu gave her a nod of affirmation. "I'll wait here."

Meanwhile, Mr. Tadashi has been observing the silver-haired boy's actions up to this point, noting how Yu acted throughout the meeting. This was one of the tasks Yu's grandfather had set upon him – to observe the way Yu acted, the way he spoke and what he decided to buy. Yes, it sounded like a simple task, but his grandfather was fickle with everything.

Up until now, Yu has been passing these tests with minor difficulties.

Would this time be different?

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'd have to say, this is of great quality, ma'am," Yu admitted as he observed and felt the cloths Mrs. Tatsumi showed him. "One can hardly find such cloths in the city…" he told her, recalling the difficulty of finding a good shop when he had to do these tests… and it was even worse in a city like Tokyo.

The woman chuckled softly, sitting on the wooden floor while Yu still stood as he checked the cloths. "Ah, thank you for the compliment. Also, here are some of the spare clothing we have." She gingerly placed the articles of clothing in front of the silver-haired boy. Taking a look at the clothes, which consisted of some Japanese clothes and one or two contemporaries, Yu noted which one he should buy – the budget given by his grandfather was always the same. So, he just had to pick the best of the best.

In the end, Yu smiled at Mrs. Tatsumi as he straightened himself. "Thank you for showing me this, Mrs. Tatsumi. I'd like to buy these, if I may?" he said as he motioned at some of the cloths and clothes. "Of course… that should be about twenty-two thousand yen," Mrs. Tatsumi told him as she nodded.

Still well within the budget… Yu then glanced at his secretary. "Mr. Tadashi?"

"Yes, sir." Mr. Tadashi approached him and took out a wallet that he gave the silver-haired boy. Yu opened it and took out the exact amount of money needed before giving it to the woman. "Here, twenty-two thousand yen. Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am."

…He did not miss the look of curiosity in Mrs. Tatsumi's eyes as she smiled, getting up to put the money away and also get the bags for the cloths and clothes that were bought. Once she got the bags and carefully folded the cloths and clothing, she put them into the bag and gave them to the boy. "Here you are."

"Thank you, ma'am." Yu bowed again and stepped back, letting his secretary take the lead from here while giving him the wallet back. Mr. Tadashi approached the woman and took out a business card from his pocket. "I am from Miyabi Jo Apparels – we might come again to buy clothes from you, so please keep this in the meantime."

"Alright… I will." Mrs. Tatsumi nodded, still smiling at the man. Mr. Tadashi then bowed. "We shall get going, then." He politely excused himself and began walking towards Yu, who followed him from behind… when the woman called out to them. The two men looked behind them to gaze at her.

"Pardon me, but may I speak to the young boy for a moment in private?" Mrs. Tatsumi asked with a gentle smile.

Yu and Mr. Tadashi stared at her in silence, until the former looked at the latter. "…I'll go see what she has to say," Yu told him quietly. The man nodded in understanding. "Alright… I'll wait for you in the car, sir." He took the bags first then exited the store, leaving Yu and Mrs. Tatsumi in the main area of the shop alone. The silver-haired boy approached the woman, wondering what she wanted to talk to him about. "Well, it's just us now… what do you want to talk about, ma'am?"

"I just wanted to ask you something, that's all…" Mrs. Tatsumi sat down so she was at the same level with the boy. "May I know… what it is?" Yu asked, keeping a calm face. Yet somehow, he's starting to feel nervous.

Mrs. Tatsumi looked into Yu's soft silver-grey eyes, seemingly knowing something. "…I want to know why a beautiful girl such as you are dressed as a businessman, acting like a grown man and not like the elegant woman I can see you are."

Suddenly, Yu realised in an instant why he felt so nervous.

Kanji's mother had seen right through _her_ act like it was nothing.

"M-Mrs. Tatsumi…" Stuttering, the silver-haired boy found himself speechless to answer. His heart pounded strongly in his chest, fear and shock grasping him like the chilly air that resided in the place. "…I don't know what you're talking about." He spoke quietly, lowering his head.

A small sigh came from the woman. "I've heard of the Miyabi Jo Apparels company… it is a big company in Tokyo, its owner being a man with the surname Narukami..." Mrs. Tatsumi said softly. "You say your name is Yu Narukami, but the person I see standing in front of me is a girl dressed as a man. Your face resembles more of a lovely young lady than a boy."

With those few words, Yu felt his walls crumble down to pieces. He… no… _she_ can't hide it any longer now. This woman… she's a lot smarter than she shows.

The silver-haired teenager lifted her head to look at Mrs. Tatsumi in defeat. "…You're right. My name… it isn't Yu, but Yui… and I am of the Narukami family…" Yui began to speak, using her real voice. "I am the granddaughter of that man, and the future heir after my father."

"I was right." The shrewd woman gently smiled at her. "Why do you hide yourself behind heavy clothes, when you have an appearance that rivals that of a princess?" she asked the young teenager. Yui averted her gaze, her hands turning into fists as she bitterly smiled. "That is too big of a compliment, ma'am…" she muttered. "I do so because of reasons I cannot say… but the least I can say is that I do it not of my own will."

"So… forced, then?"

Yui still wouldn't look at her as she kept silent.

Mrs. Tatsumi gazed at the silver-haired girl for a moment before slowly nodding. "Alright… I won't pry anymore. You may go now."

"Thank you." Yui bowed quickly yet politely before turning around to leave… but she stopped after taking a few steps ahead. She glanced back at the woman that still sat on the wooden floor of the shop. "Ma'am… please don't tell anyone. Not even Kanji," she asked, almost pleadingly.

"…I won't."

With that, Yui finally left the shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui opened her black umbrella, the small protruding part of the roof giving her some shelter from the rain as she did so. Sighing to herself, she was about to leave when a familiar rough voice called out to her that made her freeze from head to toe.

_Crap_.

Sounds of splashing and footsteps quickly approached her, and she lowered her umbrella to cover her face. It wasn't as big as she had hoped it would be – it only covered her head and her eyes, but not her nose and lips. Peeking under her umbrella from the corner of her eyes, she spotted the body of a tall guy standing in front of her, his face blocked by her umbrella. It was definitely Kanji.

It seemed like he has just gotten back from an errand, bringing a bag full of sewing tools… he doesn't sound too happy to see her, though. "What, now there's a saleswoman walking around town…?" he muttered to himself. Yui quickly shook her head. "I'm not a saleswoman… I'm just a guy," she told him, speaking in a lower voice. She still held her umbrella low, to the point that the top of her head was touching the metal frame that kept the umbrella open. At least she didn't use the translucent umbrella she would usually use today…

"No way you're a guy with that face." Kanji wasn't buying that. "What're ya doing here, in front of my mom's shop?" he asked with a hint of a threat in his voice.

Yui gripped the handle of her umbrella tightly, attempting to keep calm. "I was just passing by… I'm not doing—wha…!" She was cut off when the blonde boy suddenly gripped the edge of her umbrella. "I'm not one for manners, but you better--!" Kanji forcefully lifted the umbrella up as he spoke, wanting to see this lady's face for his own eyes.

He fell quiet when his greyish blue eyes fell on a pair of soft looking silver-grey ones that can only belong to _one_ person… and the locks of front hair barely covering them that bore the same colour as those eyes sealed that very thought in his head in an instant.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The world froze, the rain appeared to slow, and everything just went… _quiet_.

The two teenagers could only stare at each other in silence during that instant, shock apparent in their eyes. For that single moment, Kanji saw Yui not as a boy, but… as any other girl he had seen at school, except she held elegance to her fine looks.

…If he hadn't thought that Yu Narukami was a guy who had helped him back in the TV world, he would've sincerely believed that the person standing in front of him was an attractive girl.

What seemed like eternity was just a few seconds, but soon they both broke out of their stupor to blink, breaking the eye contact they had. Yui lowered her head, blushing deeply. She hadn't expected this to happen at all… nor the moment of staring that just happened.

"S-Senpai?" Kanji stuttered in surprise. "You were the…?" He had genuinely thought that the lady standing in front of him was just some saleswoman… hell, the nose and the lips his Senpai had was just like a woman's. He did not expect to see that those ladylike features belonged to… _Yu Narukami_ …

His words went unheard as nervousness filled the silver-haired girl's chest like gushing water.

She… has to get away.

_Now_.

Instinct taking over her body, Yui then abandoned her umbrella by letting go of the handle and ran away through the rain. "Wait, senpai!" Kanji tried to stop her, but could only watch as she ran towards a black car while he still held the black umbrella that belonged to her by the edge of its cloth.

The car quickly drove away after Yui entered it, leaving Kanji standing there in a stunned silence.

What did he just _see_?

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Yui… did you get found out?"

Yui glanced at the rear-view mirror when she saw that Mr. Tadashi was looking at her in worry. "…No, I didn't," she answered quietly, letting her gaze fall back to her hands. She was slightly wet from the rain, her suit and hair now sticking to her body because of it. "He was just someone from school. I didn't want him to have any ideas from seeing me in this… suit."

Mr. Tadashi kept silent for a small while as he drove his boss's granddaughter to her uncle's home. Eventually, he spoke again. "…Well, I just wanted you to know that your performance this time is excellent. The quality of the clothes and textiles you picked are exceptionally high… I think you won't need to do another test later this year."

A nod and an inaudible hum of acknowledgement was the only response he got.

He decided to keep on driving in silence.

* * *

 

Mr. Tadashi left the town by car once he sent Yu back home, his given task now finished.

After taking a quick shower and changing into more comfortable clothes, Yu sat in the living room with Nanako while having a warm drink and watching TV. However, he wasn't focusing on the news at all. His face was still flushed from the events a while ago as his mind still repeated that moment where everything froze for him and Kanji as their eyes met…

It felt like forever.

A single fleeting moment where soft silver-grey met a striking greyish blue.

Their breaths audible through the freezing silence, warmth from the air touching their skin.

For the first time, under the umbrella in the rain… the one Kanji Tatsumi saw wasn't the boy he talked with days ago – he saw Yui Narukami, heiress of Miyabi Jo Apparels and the real identity of the senpai he was growing to respect.

…The silver-haired boy felt a shiver down his spine and he soon shook his head to dispel his thoughts. Worry took over him like a pressure in his chest - does Kanji even realize it? Or is he still oblivious to the possibility that Yu Narukami isn't who he thinks he is?

He won't know until he met up with the blonde boy to talk some other day…

"…If you want, you can change the channel." Nanako's voice broke the silver-haired boy out of his thoughts. It was then he noticed how bored his cousin looked… spotting a rubber band on the table, he wondered if he can try to do something he learned about one day in his youth.

Well… there was no harm in doing so. It's just a small magic trick. "Hey Nanako, look at this…" he called her attention to his fingers, where he had placed the rubbed band on his index finger and middle finger. Without her noticing, he had also hooked it on his ring finger and pinky.

Nanako looked at him curiously. "What're you doing?"

Yu smiled and then opened up the hand he hand closed lightly, causing the rubber band to spring off his index and middle finger, instantly moving over to his ring finger and pinky… though he soon realised that Nanako saw only part of the trick.

Still, she was delighted at what she saw anyway. "I saw it! It went like, zoom! Do it again! One more time!"

Chuckling, Yu repeated the magic trick again for his cousin. Nanako laughed cheerfully, wanting to try it out too. "Okay, my turn now!"

…The night continued with a lighter mood.

~*~*~*~*~*~

With a small smile on her lips, Yui went her room after putting Nanako to sleep since her uncle wasn't home for the day. She had to put her suit in the washer since it got wet in the rain, and she let her school uniform hang on a hanger which she placed on a hook attached to the door of her room.

All in all, today was an exhausting day.

She began to prepare her futon for the night since the fatigue in her body was growing unbearable, yet had to pause when her phone rang. Probably her grandfather's secretary calling her… she answered it with a lower voice, nonetheless. "Hello?"

_"Yui, it's me. Just calling to say that I arrived in Tokyo already."_

"Well, that took you long enough..." Yui quietly laughed. "Will you be telling the results to my grandfather tomorrow?"

_"You know the answer to that by now… but I think you did well today."_

"…Thank you. I'm going to go to sleep now, Mr. Tadashi. Good night."

_"Ah, alright. Good night, Yui."_

Ending the call there, Yui yawned and put her phone down nearby before continuing to prepare her futon. Two days from now would be the camp… and Kanji would be there too, but she will be with Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko since they were second-years while he was a first-year. She was scared of what he might ask… but that is not how a Narukami deals with things.

This little problem will be but a memory once she does solve it. Somehow.


	20. Campout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The campout goes on with some trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually the day of the campout arrives... what events does Yui go through there? Read up to find out! Oh, and the next chapter maaaaay be filled with some fanservice for the fans of the MC x Kanji pairing, though it could be kinda cheesy? I'm bad at characterisation even if I try. Oh well, some anticipation there, huh?

The next day came along with clouded skies.

Like usual, Mr. Morooka was just speaking like the bastard he is during his lesson. "School camp will be taking place this weekend. Remember, this isn't like ordinary camping. It's going to be a place of education to wind up the lazy ass minds you get from screwing around all the time."

Yu mentally sighed, trying to tune out the teacher's voice. Seriously, why does this school have him as a teacher? He'd be fired earlier if he had gotten a job at a city school…

Mr. Morooka just kept on talking… or ranting. " You know, you all depend on other people too much! That's why you jerk-offs have all this spare time! 'Oh, he'll do it someday,' or 'She's doing it for me,' I bet that's all you think about! Let's take a closer look at it, shall we? What's the root of the word 'pend'? Hanamura! Stop smiling and answer!"

Now that was a sudden mood changer.

Yosuke looked troubled. "First of all, how could I be smiling in this class…? And second, this has nothing to do with logic… 'pend', eh? Words with 'pend' in them… uh…" He glanced at the silver-haired boy. "I have no clue… Yu, help me out here?"

"It means 'to hang'…" Yu told him as quietly as he could, but Mr. Morooka didn't miss that. "Ahh, pretty good, Hanamura… or should I be praising Narukami? You're right. The root word 'pend' means 'to hang'. Like Hanamura was too tongue-tied to explain, words like 'pendant' and 'pendulum' are good examples! Those girls who got murdered were fooling around and depending on others, and that's what got them killed! Unless you want to end up the same, make sure you don't depend too much on others!"

That's just cruel for him to say.

"…That was evil. How could he say that…?" Yosuke muttered to himself, trying not to frown in front of the teacher. He looked back at Yu with a small smile anyway. "…Thanks, Yu. He'd probably have stabbed me to death with his words if I hadn't 'depended' on you…"

With a small shrug, Yu smiled back. "Hey, I depend on your help too. Wouldn't have gotten this far in our investigation if it weren't for you."

Yosuke gave him a grin before focusing back on Mr. Morooka. Wouldn't want to get called out for chatting…

~*~*~*~*~*~

After school ended, Yu headed out of school to take a short trip to the shrine at the shopping district. The fox did have a new ema for him to help fulfil the wish written on it, which someone named Saito wrote, asking that their pet named Koro would return to them.

He agreed to help fulfil the wish… now he needed to find where this pet was.

While walking back to school, he encountered a dog at the flood plains. Something seemed to tell him that this was the pet he needed to help bring back to its owner… so he carefully approached it. However, the dog soon ran off after whimpering quietly, leaving the silver-haired boy alone.

…Guess he'll have to search for Koro another day.

He continued his walk back to school, planning to join soccer practice for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Before Yu went upstairs to meet with Daisuke, he noticed that Saki's brother was standing around in the lobby. He did try to talk with him, but the conversation didn't last very long as it turned somewhat sour… seemed like the younger boy went through a lot since his sister died.

The silver-haired boy couldn't do much about it for now, so he eventually went upstairs to go and ask Daisuke if he wanted to walk with him to soccer practice.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After practice finished, Yu was talking with Daisuke who looked much better than the last time the silver-haired boy saw him. At one point, the brunette glanced over to the side. "…Hey, see that girl over there?"

"…Oh." Yu noticed the girl there.

"That's her. My ex-girlfriend."

The two boys looked at each other. "She shows up every so often to watch us practice. I wonder if she's as stuck in the past as I am…" Daisuke murmured, looking melancholic. "You know I don't know the answer to that, Daisuke…" Yu told him, a sad smile on his lips.

 "Then the only thing we can do is talk. Not just for me, but for her, too." The brunette nodded with a gentle expression. "Thinking back on it... I... should've just told her everything that was on my mind. Even if the truth hurt, at least we would have understood each other..." He then smiled. "Well, I'll talk to her after practice."

"It'll go well, Daisuke. You're doing great." Yu grinned encouragingly at his friend. Thanks to Kou and his efforts, Daisuke was taking a big step to finally reconcile with an old fear… and as a result of it, their bond grew stronger with the _Strength Social Link_.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu was passing by the shoe lockers after changing back into his uniform when he noticed that Daisuke and his ex-girlfriend were talking there. He stopped in his steps and kept quiet while watching the two… talk. Though it was more of Daisuke telling her of how he was back then.

"I just want you to know... I really did like you, back then..." Daisuke told her. His ex looked at him in silence for a moment. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" she asked him. He scratched his head, unsure of what to say to that. "…Hey, have you been coming to practice because you…" he was about to ask her when she interrupted him. "Oh, he's here. Get outta the way, or he might get the wrong idea."

So Daisuke let her pass by him to watch her meet up with one of the varsity players. "Senpai, you're late!" she told the boy. The varsity player apologised. "Sorry about that. Tearing down the goals took a little longer than usual today," he explained to her.

Daisuke's ex only giggled. "So you'll take me somewhere nice for dinner then, right?"

"Sure, sure." The varsity player soon noticed Daisuke standing there. "Daisuke...? What's up, man? I'll see ya at practice. Later."

Then, the girl turned to face her ex-boyfriend. "Daisuke... thank you."

That was all she said before she left with her current sweetheart. Daisuke and Yu watched them leave, then their gazed met. The brunette boy scratched his head awkwardly again while looking away… then looked back at the silver-haired boy. "...Hahaha... ya know, I feel pretty good..." he admitted, smiling as he laughed with relief.

"That good…" Yu smiled back. "Come on, let's go home."

They both then walked back home together, things now finally looking up for Daisuke.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That evening, Yu was watching TV with Nanako… the show they were watching was a documentary about a young man searching for his real father. He took a quick glance at his cousin and noticed that she was staring into the TV.

"Real... father..." Nanako then looked at him. "Hey big bro… what do they mean by 'real'?"

For a few seconds, the silver-haired boy tried to think of a simple yet meaningful answer to that question… and soon resorted to an answer that might be stretching the truth a little, but was still relevant. "It means 'a person you love a lot', Nanako."

She smiled happily at that response and giggled. "Oh, okay... then you're my real big brother, and Dad's my real father!" She suddenly fell quiet for a moment, her smile falling. "… But I don't think Dad really loves me... maybe... maybe I'm not 'real' to him? Daddy doesn't come home because I'm not his 'real' daughter?"

"Nanako, did he say that?"

"…No." With that short question, Nanako stopped worrying about it. But she still thought about something that worried her. "Mom... why'd she leave me?"

Yu looked at her sadly. He's not even sure if her situation was worse than him… he still had parents, but they were so busy, they were barely there for him… and he was left at the mercy of his grandfather. Nanako lost her mother, but her father still tried to be there for him…

Nanako looked down sadly. "...When Mom was still here, we all went out together... we picked flowers at Samegawa…" She talked about some of her memories… and in a way, Yu could understand her true feelings a little better.

Because of it, the _Justice Social Link_ grew stronger.

"Hey... big bro..." Nanako was about to ask something, but Yu had noticed that it was now nearing her bedtime… he decided to let it be. "Yes…? What is it?" he asked, smiling. Nanako smiled back. "Okay! Umm, well, today, I woke up..."

…Well, at least she's having fun telling her cousin about her day.

Eventually, Yu put her to bed and went up to his room for the night since it was getting late.

* * *

 

Thursday came along with clearer skies, and Yu was feeling much better because of it.

While on his way to school, Yukiko caught up to him and walked at his pace. "Good morning, Yu-kun," she greeted him. "Ah, good morning, Yukiko…" The silver-haired boy greeted back, smiling. "What's up?"

"Well, school camp starts tomorrow. We'll be in the same group, but what should we be cooking for dinner? Hey, why don't we get everyone and go buy ingredients after school?" she suggested. Yu nodded – at least they all would have a say in what they wanted. "We should do that… oh, and curry is pretty easy to cook," he added.

Yukiko nodded too, smiling back. "Okay. I'll be sure to let Chie and Yosuke-kun know, then… and curry, huh? I'll talk to Chie about it… thanks, Yu-kun."

"Don't mention it." It was just a simple suggestion, but who knows what everyone will pick?

~*~*~*~*~*~

When school ended, the four teenagers went to Junes to buy some ingredients for dinner during the campout.

Yosuke told them that he had to do something on a different floor when they arrived at Junes, so now it was just Yu and the two girls. Both Yukiko and Chie were insisting that they be the ones to cook, so Yu had no choice but to let them buy the ingredients… but he had a very bad feeling about it as he watched them do so.

While standing near the shopping trolley they were using, he listened in on the conversation the girls were having as they looked at the many ingredients for sale.

"What do you put in curry again?" Chie asked the black-haired girl. "Carrots, potatoes, onions… mushrooms, green peppers, and… radishes?" Yukiko answered uncertainly.

"Are radishes… the same as turnips?"

Seems like they were making curry… but Yu felt like their dinner could be ruined at the rate they were going.

"Curry's fine, right? It's practically our national food," Chie asked her best friend. "We were going back and forth between ramen and curry, but I thought ramen might not be enough for you guys," Yukiko answered her.

"Hmm, I wonder what kind of ingredients Yosuke likes… I get the feeling he's real picky."

"He's on another floor, isn't he? Do you want me to go ask?"

"Nah, no need. Plus, he said he needed to get ready for something."

Yukiko fell silent as she looked at the ingredients again. "…Hey, Chie. You use potato starch for curry, right?"

"Eh…? O-Of course you do."

"Otherwise, the sauce wouldn't thicken. Then, we need potato starch and… some flour, too?"

"Th, there are different kinds of flour… Which should we get? All-purpose? Whole wheat?"

"Hm, whole wheat sounds healthy."

At this point, Yu was pretty sure these girls had no clue on how to cook. Dinner is _so_ going to be ruined… unless…

The two girls of the team continued to talk to each other about what to pick. "Let's get that one. And… here they are! Chili peppers! It's not curry if it isn't spicy." Yukiko picked some chili peppers. "Oh well… Let's just get everything that seems right. How about some kimchi, too? And some ground pepper!" Chie then suggested.

"There's two kinds, though. Black and white."

"Whoa! Way to go, Yukiko… the Amagi family sure knows their stuff! Let's get both, just in case."

"Oh yeah… we'll need some special ingredients, too, to spice things up."

"Hmm, I remember seeing something on TV about that… I think it was… chocolate… coffee… yogurt… how about mint chocolate!? I love that stuff! I don't like coffee that much, though… oh, I can drink mocha, so let's get that."

"What about some seafood? That should make the sauce taste better."

Yu stared at them in utter silence and horror. Now he wondered if whatever the abomination of a curry they were going to cook will actually kill him and Yosuke when they try it out tomorrow…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu stayed behind at Junes a little longer after the others left, having bought the ingredients for the so-called curry. The ingredients Yukiko and Chie chose were terribly unorthodox, and the silver-haired boy had the idea of maybe using some of the money he had to buy his own ingredients for curry…

It's better to be prepared, no?

So, with some spare time left before his curfew, he decided to buy a few ingredients to make curry in the case that whatever food was made by the two girls was inedible. It would be just curry with some vegetables that taste well with it, but it'll probably be more than enough.

Paying for the stuff he bought, he soon went back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dojima was home today, so Yu decided to talk to him after carefully storing the ingredients for tomorrow in the fridge. While they were talking, Nanako approached her father while looking tired. "I'm going to sleep…"

"Hm? Oh, it's this late already? 'Night," Dojima said, bidding her goodnight. His daughter was quiet for a moment, causing him to look at her in some confusion. "What?"

"You said you would read me a book before bed."

"Oh... ohh, that's right... I got it, I got it. Just a few pages."

The little girl's face brightened up. "Yay!!"

However, just as Ryotaro got up, his cell phone suddenly rang out. "Hold on," he told Nanako as he took out his phone and answered the call. "Dojima here… Ichihara-san! Yes... yes... then that means... well, if it's okay with you, I can be there in just a few..." He was quiet as he listened to the person on the other line. "…I understand. Goodbye..." He ended the call.

Nanako's smile fell quickly. "Dad…? Are you leaving?"

Her father couldn't bring himself to look at her. "It's… my job."

"But you said you'd read me a book..."

"I can do that anytime…"

Yu slightly frowned at the sight. "…This is more important, huh?" he asked his uncle. Dojima stared at his nephew in surprise, then sighed after being quiet for a few seconds. "Of course not..."

This made Nanako worried. "Are you two fighting...? Y-You can go, Dad."

Shaking his head, Dojima gently smiled at his daughter. "No, that's not it... I'm sorry, Nanako. What book do you want?"

"…It's okay?"

The detective nodded. "I promised. C'mon, let's go, Nanako."

"Yeah!" Now the little girl was smiling again.

The father and daughter went up to the latter's room for a while…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later, Yu was finishing up on preparing his things for the camp tomorrow when his uncle finally went down. He had a small smile on his face as he did. "Man, she made me read the whole thing..." It soon fell when he looked at his nephew. "…Let's talk."

With a wordless nod, Yu followed Dojima to the porch in the backyard of the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two sat there in silence, the only noise around them being the sound of the crickets. The stars above them twinkled in the black sky, no excess light to block them out. Right now, it was just them both, as uncle and nephew… yet the latter has grown to become a confidant to both his uncle and cousin.

Dojima eventually began to talk, glancing at the silver-haired boy. "The phone call was from Ichihara-san, my former senpai. I'm having him run tests for Chisato's hit-and-run investigation. He was calling to tell me that the test results are in..." He looked down in silence. "...Judging by his tone, he didn't find anything the police haven't already come up with. I know going over there won't change the test results, but..."

Yu has been looking at his uncle this whole time, seeing how severely disheartened Ryotaro was…

The detective continued with a sombre voice. "It was a white sedan. Most likely large and American. As expected, no such car is registered in Inaba. No records of one being repaired or scrapped, either... worst case scenario, the car's out of the country by now."

"That's terrible…" The silver-haired boy murmured quietly, shocked at the circumstances. His uncle never even told his mother or anyone about this…

Dojima gritted his teeth, his hands turning into fists. "It scares me... that I couldn't catch the perp... that I'll never have an outlet for this sick feeling... that I'll just have to swallow it...!" His shoulders then slumped. "Every time I look at Nanako... every time I notice ways she looks like her mother... I feel like... my face is being pushed down into reality... and it scares me..."

After saying all that, they were both silent for a while.

"Hah…" Ryotaro sadly smiled. "I never thought I'd be talking to you about this..." he admitted, looking at his nephew. He had just confided in Yu, and the teenage boy felt like he could understand his uncle more. Because of it, their bond grew deeper with the _Hierophant Social Link_.

The man broke his gaze away from the silver-haired boy and slowly nodded to himself. "I know I can't stay this way forever... while you're still here... I need to face myself."

Although Yu won't say it, he'll do his best to help his uncle and cousin too.

They both sat outside for some time in silence… until it was time for Yu to go to his room to sleep.

* * *

 

Friday came along with clouded skies, but there was no sign of rain once Yu and the rest of the second-years and first-years were at the mountains. As Chie and Yukiko had informed, the campout held nothing fun to it… just endless trash-picking from the moment they started until dinner time.

Which to say, Yu can already sense the impending dinner disaster coming their way… he did bring the ingredients he bought yesterday – no way he's forgetting them after what he witnessed. Yukiko and Chie were busy with their own curry… hopefully the pot they're using was still useable after the 'abuse' it just went through.

He was chatting with Yosuke in the meantime, though his body did feel tired from all that track-picking. "Ugh, picking up all that trash was murder on my back… I can't believe someone threw away an entire bike. Dammit, litterers should have to deal with their own garbage…" Yosuke muttered, rubbing his back.

Yu shrugged. The city had worse litterers. "Well, humans are humans… at least Inaba is more of a rural town than a town people can come and go to as they please. Otherwise, we might see worse things than a bike…"

"I don't even want to imagine that. Anyways, time for dinner! Man, I'm starvin'." The brunette grinned as he looked at Chie and Yukiko for moment. "Dude, the girls cooked just for us! Not that I expect much outta Chie, but Yukiko's got the full tradition of the Amagi Inn behind her food! You know it's gonna be out of this world!"

Oh, how pitiably innocent Yosuke is.

Imagining all those ingredients in something as simple as curry made Yu feel sick. "I… suddenly feel ill…" he murmured, covering his eyes. Yosuke looked at him with worry, but that didn't last long. "H-Hey, what's the matter? Is it okay if I have yours?"

"Go ahead…"

"Man, thanks! I can't wait to dig in!"

At the same time, Yukiko and Chie were troubled at the result of their cooking. "Should we… taste this?" Yukiko asked her best friend. "Huh? O-Only if you do it first…" Chie answered nervously. The two then prepared two plates of rice and curry for Yu and Yosuke, going over to them with it.

"Oh man, here it comes!" Yosuke was all excited at the thought of eating something made by the two girls in the team. "Uhhh, sorry for the wait. Um… we… put a lot of love into it…" Chie told the two with a hesitant smile.

"Whoa, really? That's kinda clichéd, but still awesome! Okay then, chow time!" Taking a spoonful of rice and the curry, Yosuke then took a bite, much to Yu's horror. In an instant, the brunette seemed to choke on it… "Urh, agh, aaarghraaaaw!"

He promptly sputtered and spat the food out, then fell onto his side like a lifeless person.

"H-hey…?" Chie worriedly called him, and for a moment he seemed to stay like that… before he sat up in a fury. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!? I mean, what kinda—" He coughed, still tasting the terrible curry in his mouth. "Curry's supposed to be like 'really spicy' or 'kinda mild'… this just stinks! And it's gritty too! It's somehow both gritty and slimy… and it's got squishy parts in it… it's so frickin' nasty I can't swallow it!"

"Well, it just didn't mix too well… but it does offer a wide variety of textures…"

"It's nauseating!"

"C'mon, it's not THAT bad…! That's just your opinion!" Chie glanced at Yu with Yukiko, and the silver-haired boy suddenly felt like his body just went cold. Yosuke also looked at his with seriousness in his eyes. "I'm telling you as a friend… don't do it. I wouldn't even joke about trying that slop!"

…Did Yu really have a choice, though? He's being looked at with expectation from the two girls… with a mental sigh, he took a spoonful of the horrid food and put it in his mouth.

The second he did, it's like his mind went through a shutdown as his body realised that the food was inedible as hell. He can't even bring himself to swallow it. In a manner similar to Yosuke, he spat the food out and coughed heavily.

Yu never even knew that one can make food taste like _this_. It's even worse than he imagined!

With a shake of his dizzy head, he lifted the sleeve of his left arm down a bit to reveal a watch he always wore. They still had some time… "Yukiko, Chie, I'm sorry to say this, but that was… _bad_ ," he admitted. "It's not just _bad_! It's… I can't even describe it…" Yosuke shook his head as he remembered the taste.

"…We're sorry…" Chie apologised on both herself and Yukiko's behalf. They looked down in shame – of all things they were bad at, it just had to be cooking. Yu sighed and got up. "Look, it's okay. We still have time to cook a proper batch of curry and eat it too. I brought extra ingredients."

"Dude, what's the use if they're the ones cooking?" Yosuke whispered at him. The silver-haired boy smiled sheepishly at him. "They're not."

"Huh?" It took a moment for the brunette boy to realise what his best friend meant. "Wait, _you_? Oh right…" He remembered how damn tasty the food the smaller boy had cooked – this could be their salvation for dinner tonight! "Yeah, that sounds right. C'mon, whaddaya need me to do?" He gave Chie and Yukiko somewhat of a stink eye. "You guys better help out too!"

"Y-yeah, we get it. What first, Yu?" Chie asked, awaiting orders from the silver-haired boy.

Yu glanced at the pot full of the inedible curry. "Well, clean up the pot and fill it up to a quarter of its height with water, then heat the water up," he started off. "I'll go get the ingredients real quick – it shouldn't take too long to cook." So he went to where his bag was.

For once, his intuition paid off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Although Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko didn't show it on their faces, they were stunned to see how quickly Yu prepared the ingredients and started cooking. If anything, he was like the perfect husband… or housewife. He's attractive, brave, polite, smart, and even knows how to cook… but he's surprisingly short and somewhat feminine for a boy.

If he wore a dress and had makeup on him, he might even pass for a girl.

…That's a strange thought.

After a small while, Yu finished cooking the curry and took four plates to fill it with rice before taking a scoop of the curry using a ladle, pouring it on the rice. Once he finished, he put out the fire under the pot and finally went over to where his friends were sitting, placing the plates of rice and curry on the table. "Here you go..."

He sat down at the table, beginning to eat his food calmly and politely. From the looks of it, he barely even broke a sweat from his cooking.

The other three teenagers stared at him for a moment before trying out the food… and to their delight, it was _delicious_. "Man, this is good!" Yosuke complimented it, grinning at his best friend. Yu smiled sheepishly, a small blush on his cheeks. "It's just curry with potatoes and a few vegetables in it. Nothing much to brag about…"

"Are you kidding? This is the best curry I ever tasted! It's so tasty…" Yosuke hungrily ate up his plate of curry and rice, which was a nice change in taste after tasting that weird and inedible curry. Chie and Yukiko had to admit that the curry was much better than theirs… hell, it's actually edible, to start off.

Thankfully, they were able to finish eating and clearing up before Mr. Morooka forced everyone into their camps for the night...

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a small while, the last person Yu had expected to come to his and Yosuke's tent was Kanji Tatsumi… who was exactly the last person he had hoped to meet during this campout after that small incident in the rain… yet at the same time, he needed to talk to Kanji.

Yosuke raised an eyebrow at the blonde boy's presence. "How the hell did you end up here?"

Kanji didn't answer for a moment as he glanced at Yu, who glanced at him as well with an embarrassed look on his face before looking away from the younger boy. The silence that followed afterwards made things even more awkward.

Heck, even until now, Kanji could see how feminine the silver-haired boy's face looked… even more so in the dim lighting of the electric lantern.

"Uh, hello…?" Yosuke was feeling weirded out at seeing that exchange. Kanji then acted like he usually was. "…My teach threatened to hold me back a year if I didn't show. And the first-year's tent is all quiet, like someone died."

The brunette boy scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you were in there with 'em, I'm not surprised…"

Kanji looked at the two older boys again. Yu still wouldn’t look at him, keeping his gaze at the floor. "Is it just you two in this tent?" he asked the two, trying not to mind the fact that the silver-haired boy has gone quiet since he entered. Yosuke sighed. "The other guys called in sick. Smart move…"

"So… it's okay if I hang out here?"

At that question, Yu let out a long and quiet sigh. Finally, he looked up at Kanji. "...Sure. Stay as long as you want, Kanji," he told him, a small smile on his lips. The blonde boy stared for a moment, then nodded quickly. "H-Hey, you're a stand-up guy, Senpai. Don't worry, I won't make any trouble for you. They won't catch me unless we raise a ruckus."

"Alright, alright. You can sleep over there…" Yosuke told the younger boy, pointing at the sleeping mat at the other end of the tent. Kanji looked at it and frowned. "Dude, there's a huge rock under there. How'm I supposed to sleep? It's gonna hurt like hell."

"I can trade places with you if you want," Yu spoke up. Kanji grew a bit flustered at that suggestion, shaking his head. "Nah, S-Senpai… you don't need to do that…!"

"Pipe down… didn't you say you weren't going to make any noise?" Yosuke said, hushing.

"Yo Senpai, can't you go just a little further back?"

"Nope. There's a slope just past here. I'd roll down the hill in my sleep. If you don't like it here, go back to the first-year tent."

"Hey… wasn't your teacher some guy called King Moron? That guy stopped me outside earlier, and he pissed me off so bad I was about to lose it. He was going on and on about when I was in middle school, when he doesn't know shit about any of that… not only that, he was bullshitting about how I'll be expelled immediately if I cause trouble… that ain't funny, man."

"Yeah, that guy's set a speed record for jumping to conclusions…" Yosuke groaned at the thought. Mr. Morooka was definitely the worst teacher they've met.

"Check this out, right? I heard it from a guy in my class. He said that asshole was talking shit about the two girls who died."

The brunette boy perked up at that. "King Moron was talking about Ms. Yamano and Saki-senpai…?"

"It was like, 'It's no surprise that people who are unfaithful or run away from home meet a bad end…'. I dunno, maybe he was exaggerating. Everyone seems to hate that son of a bitch Morooka."

"Damn, I can just picture him saying that… he never shut up about me either when I moved here last year. Not that I remember anything he said…"

"Even if it's only a little true, it still pisses me off… the dickhead's a damn teacher, for god's sake."

"Ahhh, don't waste your energy getting pissed at that clown." While Yosuke said that, he took out a small pack from a bag nearby. "Yeah, you got a point…" Kanji then spotted what was in the brunette's hands. "Hey, those are mine!"

"These?" Yosuke held the pack up. "What are these, anyway?"

"Animal crackers! Don't eat it!" Kanji managed to snatch it out of the older boy's hands, putting it into his pants' pocket. Yosuke huffed, crossing his arms. "Dude, why're you acting up about it? They're just animal crackers…" he muttered.

"I'm planning to find the penguin… it's the secret animal cracker," Kanji said without a sense of shame. Yu couldn't help but smile, maybe even giggle a little. "Really… is it that important?" he asked, feeling much relaxed for some reason.

"Y…yeah!"

…For a split second, Yu swore he could've seen a hue of red on the blonde boy's cheeks… but he could be wrong – the light was too dim to see properly.

In the end, Yosuke just sighed. "Let's just go to sleep…"

Yu nodded quietly. He needed a rest after trash-picking and practically speed-cooking for his group…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The three boys lied down on their sleeping mats, though their positions were completely different.

Kanji lied down on his mat with his arms behind his head, while Yu lied down with his legs bent and his arms crossed, and Yosuke lied down on his side, facing the other two. "Kanji, don't you have more space on your side?" he asked.

The blonde boy shook his head, looking at Yosuke. "Man, I can't sleep over there, or my back's gonna break."

"Oh… okay."

A silence fell among the three for a few moments.

"Uh… hey." Yosuke called again.

"Yeah?"

This time, the brunette boy sounded suspicious. "…Why'd you come to this tent?"

"Huh? I already told you. Geez… 's wrong with you?"

"This is as good a time as any, so… I-I want you to be honest with us."

"Uh… okay?"

"A-Are you really… you know…?"

"Am I really what…?"

"What I mean is, uh… are we gonna be safe alone with you?"

Did Yosuke just seriously _ask_ that?

"What--!?" Kanji got up, antsy at the question. "Wh-Wh-What the hell's that supposed to mean!? I-I already told you guys I'm not like that!"

Yu and Yosuke got up too, the mood suddenly tense. " W-Well then why are you all hot and bothered about it!? That's just more suspicious!" Yosuke retorted.

"Hell no! We settled this already, dammit! Right now, I'm… well… how do I put it…?"

"Oh God, don't train off like that! You're freaking me out!"

"I'm trying to tell you that I have no problem being around girls now!"

"Can you prove it!?"

"P-Prove it…?"

"'Cause if you can't, we're gonna be stuck here all night, half scared to death."

"Yosuke…" Yu looked at the brunette boy disapprovingly. Kanji gritted his teeth. "Tch… to hell with this. If that's what you really think of me, then I'm gonna go hit the girls' tent right now!"

Now that was something Yosuke didn’t expect. "Huh? Wait, well that's a little extreme! You don't have to go that far! They'll expel you if they find you! Don't tell me you forgot! King Moron's got his eye on you!"

"Yeah… like that'd stop a man like me!"

"Dude's seriously going for it… hey man, you gotta stop him…" Yosuke whispered to Yu. The silver-haired boy gave his friend a dirty look for a few seconds. This happened because a certain guy couldn't stop worrying about something so trivial. Then, he looked back at Kanji. "Kanji, don't do this," he told him, worry in his eyes.

…But Kanji wasn't listening to him at all. "Y'think I'm gonna put up with this crap!? I'll show you guys! To hell with King Moron! No one's stopping Kanji Tatsumi, dammit! Raaaaaaahhhhh!!" he promptly ran out of the tent.

"Uh, hey! Wait!" Yosuke tried to stop the younger boy, but even he couldn't do anything. What shocked him more was that Yu suddenly ran out after Kanji. "Woah! Hey, not you too!" …Now it was just him alone in the tent. "…I declare myself not responsible for anything that happens," he said to no one in particular, but just in case. He just hoped that Yu knew what he was doing…


	21. Her Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night grows ever warmer.
> 
> She sees the reality through her own two eyes, and does not deny it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, sorry for the sudden 5 days of no updates! This chapter was tough to write as I'm fairly bad at characterisation (and writing romance was more idea-taxing than I thought ;w;), and last week was actually a holiday so that's why the updates came quick. But now I'm back to school, and I'm going through exam hell so updates miiiight come late in the meantime.
> 
> Second, I'm reminded of how limited my vocabulary and ideas are while writing this chapter... ahhh, if it's cringy, I'm sorry. I tried my best, and this is literally my first time writing a slow burn + friends to lovers story. Oh well, if you're able to handle the weaknesses in my ability to write, then I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter continues off where the last chapter stopped, and maybe a small (or not? heheh) development for Yui here. You'll see what I mean when you get to it.

"Kanji…! Stop!"

A hand soon managed to grip Kanji's wrist, stopping him before he reached where the girls' tents were. "Let go!" he shook his arm free as he turned to face the one who caught up to him, his agitated expression falling when he saw who it was. "S…Senpai…"

Yu stood there, panting heavily after running as quickly as he can to catch up to the blonde boy. "Don't do this… you'll get into trouble, Kanji…" he murmured, his voice nearly a whisper. Kanji averted his gaze as his hands gripped into fists. "But… Yosuke-senpai…"

"Forget what he just said." The silver-haired boy shook his head. "He doesn't know when to stop sometimes."

Looking down, Kanji fell quiet as he stared at the glistening dew on the grass beneath their feet. The moon was bright tonight, the reach of the moonlight wide and far as it touched everything it could see in a whitish blue glow. Alongside the white orb were the same twinkling stars, far brighter up on the mountains that they were at town.

For a long moment, silence remained between the two.

Eventually, it was Kanji who broke it. "Look… Senpai, about that other day…" he started off, now beginning to sound awkward. Yu lowered his head in evident discomfiture, though thankful the moonlight was too dim to make notice of his reddish cheeks. "W-what about it…?"

"I, uh… I'm sorry for being rude to you." Kanji apologized, looking regretful for his actions. Yu looked up at him and shook his head again with a gentle expression on his face. "No, don't apologise. You didn’t know that it was me at the time."

"Still…" Scratching the back of his head, Kanji sighed as all the tension he felt from before was extinguished with this small talk. "…Can I ask you somethin' Senpai?" he asked, wanting some answers to the questions that revolved in his head since that eventful rainy day.

Yu slowly nodded. "Go ahead."

"That day… you were wearing a full suit like some kinda businessman…" The blonde boy started off, unsure of what to exactly ask now that he had the older boy's permission. "What're you doing, dressed like that?"

This question was something the silver-haired boy had expected him to ask. "I had some family business to take care of that day, and I was required to wear a suit and tie… sounds ridiculous, but that's what they told me," he answered, though it was somewhat of a lie too. He was making a purchase of clothes and textiles from the shop Kanji's mother handled.

"Really…" Kanji then gazed out at the moon for a few seconds. His mind went back to that moment where everything _froze_ , the only sound being their breaths, and the look in Yu Narukami's soft silver eyes that lasted for so long, yet was merely seconds…

Shaking his head, he let out a noise of frustration. Why was he thinking about _that_?!

The sound he made got Yu worried. "…Kanji?" He tried to get his attention. "Whuh? I wasn't thinking about anythin'!" Kanji quickly answered as he turned his head to look at Yu, his voice too loud for comfort. "Shh!" The smaller boy hushed him as he placed a finger on his own mouth. "You're being too loud," he whispered, letting his hand fall. They still had to keep an eye out for Mr. Morooka who might as well be roaming the grounds at this moment. "S-sorry, Senpai…" Kanji apologised again, looking down in shame for his own behaviour tonight.

…There was still one more question he wanted to ask.

He wasn't sure if he should, though… but if it meant his mind would clear, then he probably has to. "Senpai, I got one more question… uhh…" He trailed off as he recalled the memory of that moment again. "Hm? What is it…?" Yu gazed at him with those same deep pools of soft silver-grey, glimmering in the moonlight with hidden jewels of concern and worry for no one but the younger boy that stood in front of him…

Immediately Kanji shut his eyes, gritting his teeth strongly.

He can't bring himself to ask it.

"N…never mind, Senpai," Kanji told him, avoiding his senior's gaze. Yu raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was off. He was about to ask when he heard the faint rustling of the grass a small distance away from them. "I think we better go back to our tent, Kanji…" he whispered, tensing up. Whoever it was, they can't risk being seen.

The deafening silence of the mountains allowed Kanji to hear the almost inaudible noise. Sighing, he nodded. "…Dammit. Let's go..." He's not fond of seeing Yosuke again after that stupid question he just got from the brunette boy, but he's not planning to get expelled if the one that was coming just so happened to be King Moron.

So, the two quietly began to hurry back to the tent they left Yosuke in…

~*~*~*~*~*~

"There's the tents… ours should be somewhere near a slope…" Yu murmured softly, spotting a cluster of tents further ahead. He took a glance at Kanji who quickly looked away from him, making him sigh as he turned to face the blonde boy. "Are you really okay, Kanji?" he asked, placing a hand on his own waist like he would usually do.

Kanji stuttered in his attempt to respond. "Y-yeah! I'm alright…"

The silver-haired boy crossed his arms, clearly not buying the act he just witnessed. "You're stuttering. Will you not tell me what's troubling you?" he asked again. When all he got was silence, a quiet sigh escaped his lips before he spoke again. "…Fine then… I won't force you to speak if you don't want to." He turned around to continue walking towards the camping grounds.

Yu heard the slight shuffling of footsteps as Kanji started to follow him again… and they both kept quiet this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As the two got closer to the campsite, they could hear a very familiar voice… one that was so cranky and loud it resonated through the fields of the mountain. Yu and Kanji froze in their steps, and the former could see the fleeting figure of a certain teacher moving away from the camps…

…It was Mr. Morooka, the last person they wanted to see at the moment.

Yu turned around quickly, worry evident in his silver-grey eyes. "W-we need to move back… It's Mr. Morooka. If he finds us, we'll be expelled."

"Huh? Seriously?" Kanji looked behind the silver-haired boy and noticed King Moron walking towards them with what seemed to be a hideously flushed face – was he drunk? If he was, well, no surprise that a guy like him would drink booze on a school campout like this.

"He's getting closer…!" Yu whispered in alarm as he saw the teacher getting closer into view. He forcefully grabbed Kanji's wrist and pulled him over to a small group of trees he spotted nearby. "Woah!" The blonde boy hadn't expected for his senpai to pull him like that, and by the time he got a sense of where he was, they both were already hiding in the shadow of the trees. While looking at Kanji, Yu held a finger to his lips to signify that they need to be quiet as he glanced at the edge of the trees, where Mr. Morooka was now standing around.

The teacher had managed to hear their voices while on the way here and was now wondering if he just had one too many… but upon squinting through the darkness under the trees, he seemed to notice a figure. "Hey, who's there?!" he yelled with a slur, shocking the two teenagers. Before Yu could stop himself, he once again realised that Kanji was standing in the open and managed to grab the younger boy by the shirt to pull him over to where he himself hid behind a tree, his back to the trunk of it.

…Now they were standing a bit too close to each other.

The tense situation made them unaware of their current positions as Mr. Morooka staggered in his steps while he tried to move in between the trees, growing closer to where they currently hid. "Grrhhh… shitty trees…!" He was loudly cursing since he kept hitting the trees, though. "Screw whatever the hell was back here! I'm too tired for this shit." The drunk teacher soon gave up in his search and stumbled off to where the camp for the teachers were.

Sighing in relief, Kanji and Yu turned their heads away from the moving figure of Mr. Morooka, and finally their eyes landed on each other's gazes as they realised how _close_ they were. Yu had his back pressed against the trunk of the tree while Kanji, who was a lot taller than him, had his hands placed right above the silver-haired boy's head on the tree to steady himself after being pulled over by his senpai. Essentially… they were in a position that had their faces up close to each other.

Just like that time in the rain, it felt like as if time had stopped completely.

They stared at each other, letting silver meet with bluish grey once more as their warm breaths touched their skin like a gentle caress. If the smaller boy had lifted his head up by just a bit… to let their…

By that awareness, a rosy hue grew on both of their faces.

Kanji pushed himself off of the tree to take a few steps back, breaking his stare while still blushing heavily. Yu averted his gaze to the ground, his cheeks now a reddish colour as he blushed too. What just happened between them…?

His heart was beating so fast, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

"…I think we better get back." Yu eventually spoke up, his voice quiet. Kanji quickly nodded. "Y-yeah."

A sudden awkwardness has fallen on the two teenagers as they got out from under the trees and quietly walked their way back to camp. The blush on their faces still hasn't disappeared – hopefully the dim lighting inside the tent would be enough to hide it. The silver-haired boy could still feel his heartbeat racing, though.

First in the rain, now under the trees… their gazes have met and froze all the same both times.

…Something's wrong with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they finally arrived at the tent, what they didn't expect was to see Chie and Yukiko inside with Yosuke.

"Yukiko? Chie?" Yu looked at the two girls with surprise. "What are you two doing here?" he asked in a whisper. "Hanako was snoring too loud… she sounded like a breeder hog…" Yukiko answered, sighing. "We're gonna sleep here – Mr. Morooka almost caught us, but we'll sneak out before the others wake up tomorrow…!" Chie added. Yosuke looked at Kanji uneasily. While he's a bit glad that the younger boy didn't end up going over to the girls' tents, what just happened a while ago was still stuck in his mind. "There's too many people here now."

Kanji didn’t miss the look Yosuke was giving him, his expression hardening. "…I'll go back to where the first-years are," he told them. "Oh, thank you, Kanji-kun," Yukiko thanked him with a nod. The blonde boy then turned to leave but paused when his eyes fell onto Yu's soft face. "Be careful on your way there," he told him, his voice as caring as always.

"T-thanks, Senpai." Before everyone else could see his face turn red, Kanji quickly left.

For a few moments, the silver-haired boy stared at the exit of the tent with such a longing feeling in his throbbing chest. He soon decided to go to sleep to avoid his friends from suspecting that something happened between him and Kanji.

There's still a heavy feeling in his chest… and it burns the whole night through.

* * *

 

That morning, they all got together by the river after the campout was officially over.

Yu and Kanji were still a bit awkward around each other after last night, which was still a mystery to the other three. They tried to not let it show, at the very least. Yosuke looked around, grinning. "Looks like we're the only ones here! Let's get swimming!"

"Are you seriously taking a swim? I'll pass… I'm all stiff," Kanji told him, shaking his head. Sleeping in the first-year tents was cold as heck. "…I'll pass too. I didn't bring any swimwear," Yu added, looking sheepish. He intentionally didn't bring any because… well, they'll find out his secret if he took off his shirt. Plus, the river was probably ice cold - water from the mountains can be surprisingly chilly, especially in the mornings.

The three boys then glanced at Chie and Yukiko. What about them?

"What're you guys looking at us for…? If you guys wanna swim, go right ahead," Chie told them, raising an eyebrow. Yosuke crossed his arms. "…You know, you two still owe us."

"Huh? Whoa whoa whoa, we're not going in there. I mean, we do owe you, but… oh yeah! We don't have swimsuits with us! Man, of all the luck!"

"Y-Yeah, it really is unfortunate." Even Yukiko wasn't liking this one bit.

The brunette boy then used a condescending tone as he spoke. "Oh, I see how it is. We put up with your dinner, I saved you from King Moron, and you won't even have some fun with us in the river."

"N-No, it's really too bad. It'd be no problem if I just had a swimsuit. Haha…" Chie laughed nervously. To her and Yukiko's shock however, Yosuke then revealed two pairs of female swimwear – one was mostly yellow coloured while the other was red. It was obvious which one was for which girl. "Tadaaaa! I've got you covered!" Apparently, this was what he was doing at Junes while the others were buying the ingredients for curry. "They're Junes-brand originals, from our brand-new line of swimwear that just came in for the summer. I had a clerk friend of mine choose 'em for me. Pretty swanky, huh?"

The thing is, where the hell did he _hide_ those?

"Dude, that's just wrong…" Chie stared in shock. "Did you have those this whole time…?" Yukiko questioned him, her eyes wide with surprise. "C'mon, let's all go swimming!" Yosuke told the two, grinning cheekily. Chie shifted on her feet uneasily, looking at her best friend. "What should we do, Yukiko…?"

"'It'd be no problem if I just had a swimsuit.'" Yosuke just repeated the brunette girl's exact words a few moments ago. Both Yukiko and Chie were still hesitant, so he just drilled the nail in further. "Y'know, we really were looking forward to dinner… at least Yu had thought ahead. Now I wonder what would've happened if I didn't help you guys last night…"

Chie then stomped her feet in frustration. "We get it already! Sheesh, you never let things go!"

"Alright! That's more like it!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

A small while later, Yosuke had changed into his swimming trunks and waited around with Yu and Kanji who were still in their tracksuit outfits since they weren't swimming with him and the girls. "How far off did those two go to get changed…?" he muttered, crossing his arms. He then looked at Yu. "Dude, why didn't you bring any clothes to swim?"

"I… uh… forgot," Yu answered hesitantly. "I was too busy getting those ingredients that I forgot about it."

Yosuke sighed. "Seriously? Well… I guess I have to thank you for getting them, partner." He smiled at the silver-haired boy anyway. Then he saw Chie and Yukiko approaching them from the corner of his eyes, and even he was amazed by what he saw. Yu was genuinely surprised to see the two girls wearing such outfits – he'll have to admit, the brunette boy made some good choices.

"C'mon, let's get in," Chie told them, blushing in embarrassment. "Whoa… man…" Yosuke admired them with a grin. Kanji was silent as well as he stared at them. Somehow, Yu felt a sour taste in his mouth when he noticed that the blonde boy was staring at the girls like any other average guy would. He should've expected it… but why is he…?

…It can't be.

Shaking his head, he forced a smile onto his face. "You two look cute."

Chie and Yukiko blushed even darker at his compliment. "Wh-Where did that come from!?" The brunette girl nearly shouted in embarrassment. Yosuke was obviously enjoying this, grinning at the fruit of his endeavours. "Man, this is going even better than I expected. Kinda makes up for having to eat that Mystery Food X last night." He then looked at the two boys beside him. "C'mon, you guys gotta admit I chose some good suits. Those girls might be childish on the inside, but I bet they're gonna turn into some fine-looking women before too long! Don't you think so, Yu?" he asked the silver-haired boy.

"…I guess." Yu wasn't exactly sure of what to say to that. But he definitely knew that no matter what his answer was, the thing that happened to them next was something he had expected, and Yosuke should've seen it coming. The girls looked at each other before looking at the two boys. "You guys crossed the line…" Chie started speaking. "…Definitely." And Yukiko ended it. They both approached Yu and Yosuke and promptly pushed them off the cliff, into the river below.

Hell, the water was even colder than Yu had anticipated it to be.

As the two boys shivered in the cold water, Yosuke looked up at the cliff with chattering teeth. "Agh! I-it's freezing! Y-y-you didn't have to push us in…!" he shouted at the girls. Chie merely yelled back at him. "Who cares!? You were going in the river anyway! They brought this on themselves." She sighed quietly. "Sheesh… aren't they the worst, Kanji-kun?" She looked at the blonde boy when she got no response. "Hey, you've been awfully quiet. Are you feeling okay?"

Then she noticed something. "…Uhhhh…"

"Wh-What…?" Kanji looked normal… except for the small stream of blood coming out of his nose. He's having a _nosebleed_. "Ewww!" Yukiko was so shocked to see that, to the point that she ended up pushing him off the cliff too.

Yosuke's eyes widened as he saw the falling figure of Kanji heading towards them. "L-look out!" He started moving backwards despite the shivers in his body to avoid getting hit by the blonde boy's body. Yu lifted his head up to notice why his friend was doing so… only to realise a moment too soon that Kanji was about to fall on top of him.

Before he could even blink, he was forced back into the ice cold yet pristine clear river as Kanji fell onto him. His face stung at the cold temperature, as did his whole body in general – but his face burned like the heat of a searing fire upon opening his eyes in the water. His face and Kanji's were once again too close for their own comfort, and even the blonde boy had his eyes open as he stared at his senpai with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Their lips were just a small bit away from brushing together.

If Kanji had fallen any deeper, they could've ended up…

In an instant, Kanji managed to push himself out of the water with a gasp. Yu had to turn around in the water so he could do the same, coughing heavily after being in the water for what seemed like a long while. Yosuke looked at the silver-haired boy with worry. "P-partner, you okay?!" he asked, to which Yu nodded slowly in response. "J… just too cold…" he murmured, holding his arms close to his body as he started shivering. Both his and Kanji's faces bore a reddish colour to them; whether because of the cold water or not, that's something only they could answer.

"What was that for!? I didn't do anything!" Kanji yelled at Chie and Yukiko up at the cliff, sneezing after that. "H-Hey! What's gotten into you!?" Yosuke shouted as well with a stutter. "You guys had it coming!" Chie retorted, placing her hands on her waist like she usually would do. She then looked at her best friend. "C'mon, Yukiko. Let's leave them," she told her friend, and so they left the boys down in the river. "Hey… hey! W-where are you guys g-g-going?!" Yosuke couldn't believe that those two would just leave them here.

With a sigh, Yu began to walk down the river to find a way out of it. "We better g-get out…" He can't stand another moment in this icy water, but his body still felt terribly warm after what just happened. Yosuke and Kanji quickly agreed on it and scrambled to get out of the river.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Thankfully, Yu had brought his school uniform as a change of clothes so he wasn't stuck in his wet school jumpsuit on the way home. As he did so, his mind would unwittingly wander back to the moments at the river and under the trees… he wasn't even sure if he wanted to talk to Kanji to tell him to just 'forget' about what happened.

His pulse was still racing.

This looks bad.

* * *

 

The night was spent in restlessness, but somehow Yu managed to wake up the following day and have the strength to go out and do something in the warmth of the sun after that time spent in icy cold waters. While on a small walk in the shopping district, he noticed Kanji standing in front of his mother's shop. He stopped in his steps as he contemplated on whether he should talk to the blonde boy after everything that just happened yesterday… but then again, it was probably better he deal with it now than later, or never.

So, going against the sudden pounding of his heartbeat, he approached him. "Hey, Kanji."

"H-hey, Senpai." Kanji sheepishly scratched his head, remembering what happened yesterday. "Uh… about what happened yesterday…" He started to speak, but Yu stopped him. "I know. It was an accident." A small smile appeared on the silver-haired boy's lips, yet he found it difficult to speak the words he planned to say… but he had to. "…Let's just not talk about it, okay?"

…His chest hurt as he said that.

"Sure, no problem." Kanji nodded, a casual smile now appearing on his face. "Say, wanna go and grab a bite at Aiya Diner, Senpai? It's on me!" he offered. "…Why not?" Yu shrugged, putting on a smile for the younger boy. "Awesome! Let's go!" With a grin, Kanji began walking to the Aiya Diner down the road with Yu following him closely.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The both of them sat at the counter as they waited for their food.

Yu shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tried to act like nothing was bothering him. He felt like his body was having hot flushes, and his pulse was still abnormally frantic. All of this seemed to be telling him _something_ … but he's in no position to think about it at the moment as Kanji started talking to him, so he forced himself to smile.

Just then, they could hear the sound of the door sliding open as a customer entered. It was a middle-aged man, but the silver-haired boy instantly recognized the outfit the man was wearing – he's a cop. "Aren't you Kanji Tatsumi?" The police officer noticed Kanji sitting at the counter. "What are you doing here?"

Looking at the cop, the blonde boy narrowed his eyes. "Can't you tell? Hey, you're a cop. What do you mean, what am I doing?"

"Just what I said. There's been quite a commotion around here lately."

"Well maybe if you did your job, things'd get quieter, huh?"

The police officer frowned at Kanji. "Y-You need to fix that attitude... oh well. Just don't pull anything, got it?" he told him. "I didn't…" Kanji was cut off by the man sighing. "I'm gonna eat somewhere else." The police officer turned around to leave but stopped upon noticing Yu. "Hey… you're Detective Dojima's nephew, aren't you?"

Yu raised an eyebrow. "…Yes, I am."

He definitely didn't miss the stern look suddenly appearing on the cop's face. Seems like he knows his story too. "You better not start something up in town, Yu Narukami," The cop warned him. The silver-haired boy merely sighed. "I won't, sir."

With that, the man finally left, closing the sliding doors.

Kanji glared at the door once the police office left. "Asshole..." He looked back at Yu. "What'd he mean by 'start something up', Senpai?" he asked, somewhat curious as to why the police officer noticed the older boy. Yu just shook his head. "It's something I did back then, so the police kind of got… agitated." That was the closest thing he could say about his time as a delinquent, but like hell was he revealing the real truth of it.

The blonde boy huffed. "The cops're always like that. Besides, soon as they spot me it's, 'Whaddaya doin'?', 'You look suspicious,' and alla that bullshit... meh, I'm used to it..." He fell silent for a few moments. "…Sorry for gettin' you mixed up in this, Senpai... I really am just a troublemaker. For you... and for Mom. She's always apologizing for me. She's been sprouting more and more white hairs."

"You just need to change, Kanji." A gentle expression appeared on Yu's face, with a soft smile on his lips. A rosy colour grew on Kanji's cheeks while he stared at his senpai, then he averted his gaze. "Y-Yeah, huh?" He nodded earnestly at those words. "Filial piety, right? I don't really know what to do... or so I thought." Soon, he turned his head to look at the silver-haired boy again with a determined expression as his blush faded. "I'm gonna use this power I got to make this town peaceful! I've been causing nothing but trouble, but now I can finally return the favour! So let's get to it, Senpai!"

Yu nodded, still smiling at the blonde boy. He could practically feel the enthusiasm rolling off in waves from Kanji… and he felt like he understood him more. As a result, the _Emperor Social Link_ grew stronger.

Kanji then looked at the chef behind the counter. "...Hey Chef, the food ready yet?"

The owner of the diner paused from his cooking to glance at him. "Huh? You ordered something, Kan-chan?"

"I told you not to call me Kan-chan! And I did order: liver-leek stir fry and pot stickers!" The blonde boy yelled at the man. "Tch! I'm gonna tear your store apart so fast you won't have time to file for insurance!"

"Kanji…" Yu shook his head at him with disapproval evident in his gaze. He said that he was going to change. Though… 'Kan-chan'? That's kind of a cute nickname for a tough boy like Kanji.

"Oh, uh, well..." Kanji quickly retracted his statement. "I'm gonna tear it apart and rebuilt it twice as good! I-I'm gonna RENOVATE your ass!"

"...Sounds good to me," The owner replied, not at all bothered by what the younger boy said.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After talking for a while as they ate their meals, they eventually parted for the day.

Yu waved goodbye at Kanji, and when he saw that the blonde boy waved back with a grin, all he could feel was the strong pounding in his chest and the rushing feeling of heat into his cheeks and face. He quickly turned around and left the shopping district, all while his breath grew short and his mouth felt dry.

~*~*~*~*~*~

If Yui Narukami were honest, she would admit that something was off about herself ever since that rainy day of the test. She thought that she got over her tendency to overthink some things, but now she realised that her training has absolutely failed her in every aspect of that. Not only did she end up in some embarrassing situations with a certain blonde boy, she had gone off and left herself in the one condition she swore to never end up feeling. The way she felt, how her thoughts have been, her actions around _him_ …

She stopped walking to grip the part of her shirt that was over her heart, biting her lip strongly. She had denied it all this while, yet she couldn't deny it forever.

She grew a _crush_ on _Kanji Tatsumi_.

…Fuck, she's screwed.


	22. The Celebrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An idol comes to town, and now she might be the next victim on the murderer's list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter finally has Rise enter the story... welp, we're getting there, heh.

During dinner, Yu barely touched his food. He didn't feel hungry, not after admitting to himself that he has let his feelings get the best of him. Both his uncle and cousin haven't noticed his strange attitude as they were watching the news, which was showing… wait, _Rise Kujikawa_? She's taking a temporary leave of absence from the entertainment industry? Looking at the TV screen in surprise, the familiar face of a dark brunette girl appeared on the screen, her hair in twin pigtails – there was no doubt about it. She's one of the idols his grandfather's company supplied stage clothes to for performances.

Now that Yu had his attention fixed to the TV, he listened in on the news. The reporters were asking for her reason in taking a break, and they were just as terrible at it. Rise could barely answer as they peppered her with question after question, but the silver-haired boy had noticed that one of them mentioned a rumour about Rise staying with her relatives that were in Inaba… who ran a traditional tofu shop. Hm, he recalled spotting a tofu shop down in the shopping district…

Eventually an agency spokesman ended the press conference, and everything descended into chaos.

Nanako looked at her father. "Is Rise-chan quitting her job on TV?" she asked him. "Who knows… but if this is her hometown, we'll have to deal with everyone who's trying to get a glimpse…" Dojima answered her, frowning at the thought. As the news ended, Rise's famous advertisement for some kind of low-calorie drink played – like the many times Yu had seen it play, she was in a revealing bikini. Dojima shook his head with a sigh. "Rise Kujikawa, huh…? The one good thing about this town was that it had nothing of note, and now we get all the buzz… what's going on?"

If only anyone could answer that.

But one thing now worried Yu – if Rise really was coming to Inaba… it's possible that she may be the murderer's next target.

* * *

 

Monday was a usual school day with cloudy skies.

What Yu didn't expect was to hear the voice that belonged to the one guy he really didn’t want to see at the moment call out from behind him, and in just a few seconds, Kanji caught up with him. "Yo, Senpai…" he greeted before yawning. The silver-haired boy attempted to keep calm as he smiled hesitantly, feeling his pulse rise with the slight heat in his cheeks. "Hello, Kanji." If this was how girls felt whenever they had crushes, he had a feeling he was going to hate himself for acting like this around the blonde boy.

Kanji rubbed his face a little. "Oh, sorry. I haven't completely woken up yet… oh yeah, the shopping district seemed different today when I was passing by… like, everyone was really hustlin' more than usual… I wonder what's going on," he told him. Yu coughed a bit before he responded. "Well, I smell a case behind it." It's not a normal occurrence if the shopping district was 'hustling more than usual'; it's usually quiet due to Junes. The younger boy merely stared at him for a moment. "'Smell'…? Man, you're sounding like Teddie. It didn't seem like the cops were involved in what was there, though. Guess I'll try asking around at school…"

"…I suppose you can do that…" Never in the silver-haired boy's wildest dreams had he thought that he would be compared to that bear… and to know how much it hurt to hear that out of Kanji's own mouth. Yet with a melancholic smile, he kept on walking to school with the blonde boy.

This is just a momentary phase in his life.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The whole Investigation Team gathered in the class Yu and his friends were in, so Kanji went there to talk with them since he was a first-year. "Yo." He greeted them like he usually would. Chie noticed him approaching them. "Hey, there he is. You've been coming to school pretty often lately. What's up?" she asked curiously.

"It's this annoying thing called the mandatory attendance policy."

"Is that why?" Ah yes, that little policy. Yu remembered how much of a pain that policy was – it was the only reason why he would go to school back when he was a delinquent. Otherwise, he'd be having his fun with his former gang members, but that's an old joy he wished to not fall back into, especially after learning that even Inaba's police force knew of his past antics. Bad enough that his actions were bad enough to be… well, reported in the news maybe one or two times.

"Yeah… anyway, you guys see the news?"

"News…? Oh, that stuff about Rise Kujikawa taking a break from showbiz? I wonder why. She was just getting popular lately…" Chie commented about it. "Just goes to prove that being an idol is tough work," Yosuke told her. Yu smiled at that. "Rise's pretty great." He saw her act on stage live once when he had to deal with the stage clothes as a manager under the orders of his grandfather. She's pretty good at it, even if he only watched from backstage. The brunette boy was surprised to hear those words. "You think so too? It hasn't been that long since her debut, but at this rate, she'll be a top-class idol in no time. To be honest, I'm a fan, too! She's such a cutie pie!"

And there goes that.

Chie stared at Yosuke for a moment. "A cutie pie…? What are you, 80?" That was such an outdated phrase. "But I think she used to live here, so she must have a lot of local fans."

"The news said she's going to her grandmother's tofu shop, right? Do they mean Marukyu…?" Yukiko then asked. "Marukyu?" Yosuke looked at her with confusion.

"Marukyu Tofu. Our inn was serving their tofu until recently."

"Oh, that place in the shopping district! I pass by it all the time." Then the brunette boy realised something. "Wait, does that mean I can meet Rise if I go to her tofu shop!?"

Yu merely chuckled at his friend's growing enthusiasm. But in truth, he's not a fan of any celebrity. Literally. "Well, I'm not interested," he said. "Hey, aren't we getting a little side-tracked from the point here?" Chie spoke up before she remembered a small fact. "Wait, did you forget about the murders!? You're the one who said the connection between the victims might be the TV! She could be the next target!" she told the brunette boy. "C'mon, it's not like Rise started showing up on TV just recently. Also, how could Rise be connected to the incidents so far?" Yosuke retorted.

"I wondered the same thing, so I did some research. It seems that she had no personal interaction with Ms. Yamano. They've just been on the same show once or twice," Yukiko added. However, Chie knew better than to dismiss the possibility. "She's been an idol for a while now, but she's the talk of the town, thanks to the news last night. And she is moving here, after all."

Yosuke thought for a moment. "So, if our assumptions are correct, she fits the pattern… she'll probably be targeted next. And if she is, that narrows down the killer's methods even further."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanji asked out of the blue. Was he not listening?

Sighing, Yosuke crossed his arms. "Kanji-kun, listen real carefully… if Rise is next, then that lets us rule out our theory that the targets have to be connected with the first case. And that means the killer's targets are people who've been shown on TV recently. Get it now?"

"Huh. Ohhh… yeah, okay." The blonde boy nodded in understanding… or at least, he looked like he did. Once that was over, Yosuke then grinned. "Alright, now we have to keep a close eye on everything Rise does! Let's do it!"

"Sheesh, he's all pumped up…" Chie could only shake her head at the sight.

Guess they'll have to check around later…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yukiko had asked Yu if he could try out a boxed lunch she made herself, since he did tell her that he'll help her improve her cooking by trying it out… which he was kind of starting to regret after that campout. Then again, he can't let her down like this. So, he agreed to it, which was why they were now sitting at the resting hut in the flood plains.

Yukiko handed him the box with the lunch she made herself. "It came out well, so I packed it up. Try it out," she told him. Yu looked down at the lunch, noting how it seemed normal… but now he could smell an unusually pungent odour hanging in the air. Swallowing down his hesitance to even take a bite out of it, he managed to smile at the black-haired girl. "Well, let's eat."

With a nod, Yukiko smiled back. "Go ahead!" She stared at him with an expectant look, unintentionally putting pressure on to the silver-haired boy.

Yu guessed that he could start with this… omelette-looking... thing. Using his chopsticks, he took a bite out of it. For a moment there, he thought it was soft when he bit into it, when his teeth suddenly hit something too hard for him to bite on inside. Plus, it smelled burnt, yet raw – how is that even possible? Hopefully he doesn't actually get sick from this. Hell, could his body even handle it? Trying all of his might to ignore the strange taste, he forced himself to swallow it with some difficulty.

His attempt didn't go unnoticed by the girl next to him. "...You're not about to tell me how delicious that was, are you?" She gazed down at her hands, sadness evident in her eyes. Sighing, he could only smile reassuringly at her. "Hey, there's always next time."

"I-I suppose... thank you." A relieved expression now appeared on Yukiko's face.

"Oh, big bro…! What are you doing?" Nanako approached them, having been walking down the road at the time. "Ah, Nanako-chan... well, I was just having him try my boxed lunch..." Yukiko told her. The little girl brightened up at that. "Ooh, I want some."

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't give you any. It's not good..."

"Oh. If you make a good one, will you let me have some?"

"Huh...? S-Sure, if you want..."

"Yay! I'm rooting for you!"

"Nanako-chan... thank you. I'll do my best, okay?"

Nanako nodded, smiling. "I need to go now. I'm going to Mai-chan's house. Bye!"

"Be careful."

The little brunette girl left, waving goodbye at the two. Yukiko looked back at Yu, seeming rueful. "Umm... I'm sorry to drag you around..." she apologised. Yu shook his head, chuckling. "No, it's okay. I'm having fun." Admittedly, it was interesting to challenge his body and mind's limits… even if it was by eating such oddly-tasting food. His words gave relief to the black-haired girl. "R-Really? I'm glad to hear that..."

Now Yu could feel that Yukiko was relying on him… and because of it, their relationship deepened with the _Priestess Social Link_.

"Only about a year left, huh...? I need to be able to do anything on my own by then..." Yukiko murmured quietly. Yu smiled at her again. "I know you can do it, Yukiko."

The black-haired girl blushed a bit before nodding, smiling too. Soon the silver-haired boy gave her back the rest of the boxed lunch before bidding goodbye to her.

* * *

 

Tuesday came along the same way.

There wasn’t much after school ended other than Yosuke asking if he had time to talk. Seeing that there were no other activities to do, Yu told him that he could spend some time to do that. So, the brunette boy brought him to the riverbank by the flood plains with a solemn look on his face.

Yosuke was facing away from his friend as he spoke. "There's something I wanted to tell you."

"…What is it?" Yu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Somewhere deep down... I didn't trust you. No, it's more like... I was jealous of you. I thought you were like me. Coming from the city to the countryside, I thought you'd be bored out of your mind here. But as soon as you got here, you called your Persona... became our leader, gathered people... you're a hero. I like you for that, and I'm proud of you... but I guess I was jealous at the same time."

The silver-haired boy stared at him in surprise. Was this how Yosuke felt all this time…? "I… I didn't know."

"I didn't know it either..." Yosuke murmured as he stared at the grassy ground. "When I called you 'special', I thought some more about it. I think out of everyone, I wanted to be acknowledged by you the most... so, Yu..." He turned around, his stance becoming one of that in battle. "I want you to hit me!"

"W-what?" Yu was taken aback at those words, watching as the brunette boy took a few steps closer. "Give me a good one. Knock out all this crap inside of me. I want to be equal with you. I want us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. So c'mon..." Yosuke was really serious about it… but the shorter boy felt like it wouldn't be enough. "…Hitting you won't be enough," he told him, a serious look in his eyes. This surprised Yosuke. "Huh...? B-But I don't have a reason to hit you..." He fell silent for a moment, thinking deeply. "…I got it now. If we're 'equal', then... I guess you're right."

So, the two put some distance between them while they got into a battle-ready stance.

"Okay, here I come! Take your best shot!" Yosuke told him, and soon they both ran at each other to initiate a brawl.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They brawled it out like their life depended on it, until their bodies gave out in exhaustion with one last punch at each other's faces. They fell down onto the ground with their backs to it, chests heaving as they panted heavily. Even Yu hasn't had a fight like this since he stopped being a delinquent… but man did Yosuke have a strong punch. The brunette boy could say the same about him. "Ugh... your punches are brutal... I was seeing stars there for a second..." he murmured, wincing. "But thanks, man... I don't know how to say it, but... that sure beat words."

For once, there was a peaceful expression on Yosuke's face. He then dug into his pocket, taking something out. "You can have this."

Yu glanced at him, noticing what seemed to be a small bandage in the brunette's hand. "…Thanks." He took it, holding it in his own hand as he let his head fall back to the ground and letting his eyes stare up at the evening sky, orange and red hues mixing like water.

"If you start bleeding, put that on. Y'know... we should fight more often," Yosuke told him. He then stared at the sky as well, letting out a quiet sigh. "Phew... the sky's so high up. Is Saki-senpai watching us...? Is she smiling at us? Senpai... I'm going to live. Without lying to myself, without deceiving myself... days like today, days like before when I did nothing... they're all important days... they're all days you didn't live to see... I'm going to live them here." He was smiling gently as he said all that.

…Then, something happened within the brunette's heart.

His strong will that allowed him to accept and overcome his weakness has awakened his heart's true power... his Persona _Jiraiya_ has been reborn, transfiguring into _Susano-o_.

After all that, the two boys sat up. Yosuke crossed his arms as he looked down for a moment, taking in the event that just happened. "This... is my power...? The power to protect what's dear to me, huh..." He chuckled slightly. "Heheh, just what I wanted." He looked at Yu with a smile. "Let's keep at it, so we can live every day with a smile... Leader."

Nodding in response, the silver-haired boy smiled back. He could feel the warm trust coming from his friend… or… maybe he could really call Yosuke his best friend now. At that little thought, he felt the _Magician Social Link_ reach its full potential, followed by the whispering in his head speaking of the formation of a genuine bond. From the looks of it, he could now fuse a whole new Persona – _Mada_ , of the _Magician Arcana_.

Yosuke grinned at him. "Well... we're all counting on ya, Yu!"

"I won't let you guys down," Yu replied with a grin as well, then they both shook hands as a new understanding now existed between them. The two spent some more time together before parting ways for the day…

~*~*~*~*~*~

There was still some time before his curfew, so Yu took a quick detour to the shopping district. While on his way down, he was met with the sight of the same dog he saw at the flood plains the other day.

The dog seemed wary of him as it growled at him, and he didn't want to scare it off since it could be that runaway dog from the ema that fox at the shrine showed him… he decided to try and talk to it gently. "Hey… I'm not gonna hurt you…" His soft voice let the dog relax a bit, whimpering – it seemed less wary of him now. Eventually it ran away… it probably wouldn't return here anytime soon. The silver-haired boy planned to look for it another day, for now he had a trip to the Velvet Room to do.

He soon reached the gently glowing blue door with gold accents that was next to the metalworks shop. Taking out the Velvet Key, he used it to unlock the door and enter.

~*~*~*~*~*~

What he didn't expect was to see that it was only Margaret inside, with Igor nowhere to be found.

Margaret looked at Yu, noticing him there. "Oh… excuse me. Do you have any business here? Mmm… as you can see, my master is currently away. If your errand isn't urgent, I regret to ask that you come back lat—" Then, she suddenly looked away as a thought crossed her mind. She shook her head slowly. "No, that won't do. This room is bound tightly to your fate. Nothing here happens without a reason… there must be meaning in our meeting here alone."

She turned her head to gaze at Yu again. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I am Margaret. I am the one who rules over power, invited here after my predecessor's sudden disappearance. You may be the first person who has ever been welcomed here by someone other than my master. The Velvet Room is inseparable from the heart of its invited guest… the shape of the room and its residents are selected by my master, based on the number of guests and their destiny… shall we chat? I feel that is what I am called to do." A faint smile appeared on her face with her eyes bearing a hint of gentleness in them, unlike her normal gaze…

Yu could feel a faint bond forming between himself and her, and whispers spoke in his head once more as the _Empress Social Link_ of the _Empress Arcana_ was formed. How unique.

"It seems you have several 'Social Links' already. Recurring meetings, recurring words… by deepening your understanding of one another, your bonds strengthen. But sometimes the heart it shaken more by a single action than a thousand words. Do you understand?" Margaret told him before asking. Yu tried to understand it – he could get an idea of it. "Somewhat." It probably meant that an action can have greater meanings to someone than mere words… or something like that.

"Hmhm… today's meeting might be classified as that single action." Margaret looked down for a moment, then nodding to herself as she lifted her head to gaze at the silver-haired boy again. "I've decided. The strand of fate you follow… entangle me within it as well." She smiled slightly. "Perhaps a new bond will be spun. There is something I have wanted to know, and you are the first guest I welcomed here… in light of today's meeting with my master absent… hm. I believe we are both special to one another…"

Those words inflicted a small nervousness in Yu. What did she mean by that…?

Margaret continued on, nonetheless. "I want to know more about you. First, I think I shall have you show me your rare Persona ability. Let me see…" She thought for a few seconds. "…Show me an Ippon-Datara that knows Sukukaja." A knowing look appeared in her eyes. "The heart is shaken more by a single action than by a thousand words… have you already forgotten?"

The boy shook his head. "I haven't, miss."

"Hmhm, then I have something to look forward to. I wish you well."

So, Yu nodded as his goodbye before leaving the Velvet Room. Time for him to head home… even if he didn't get any Personas fused, having a new Social Link with Margaret was an interesting surprise. Wonder what that will lead him into…?

~*~*~*~*~*~

The night came with the downpour of rain, meaning that the Midnight Channel would be on if it lasted until midnight.

It did, so Yui was waiting in her room again for midnight to strike. If their suspicions were correct, then they would see Rise on TV… which would mean that she's the murderer's next target. When it was a few seconds before midnight, the silver-haired girl got up from her sofa to stand in front of the TV and stared at the dark screen. Soon, it came to life as the Midnight Channel played… and there was a figure through the static. It was definitely a girl, and she's wearing a swimsuit… those twin pigtails looked very much like Rise's too.

Then the screen kept focusing on the girl's chest and thighs, and Yui found herself grimacing at the sight. This made it hard to see the girl's face…

Before the silver-haired girl could really be sure that the girl on screen was Rise, the Midnight Channel ended. Her phone's ringing broke the silence, and she quickly took it out to answer it. "Hello?"

It was Yosuke. _"Hello!? Hey, did you see that!? That was Rise for sure! Rise Kujikawa!"_

"You're right. It's definitely her." Even if Yui couldn't see the girl's face, the body shape and hairstyle was very reminiscent to Rise's.

_"Thought so! Oh… I guess I shouldn't be so excited. There's a chance she might get kidnapped… c'mon, we should go there tomorrow! What was it called again…? Oh yeah, Marukyu Tofu! Dude, my heart's pounding already…"_

"Really, Yosuke?" The silver-haired girl chuckled at that. As expected of a fanboy.

_"C-c'mon, aren't you at least excited? Well, see you tomorrow!"_

"Yeah, yeah… see you tomorrow too." Ending the call there, now they had a job to do – they needed to prevent Rise's kidnapping however they can. Yet the murderer could be a step ahead of them either way… Yui could only hope that they can prevent it from happening.

* * *

 

The next day, the Investigation Team got together as school ended to plan out how they were going to deal with the new task at hand. Nearby they could hear a trio of students talking about Rise Kujikawa being in Inaba – they even said that the owners of Marukyu Tofu had the same last name as the idol.

"I've been hearing that there's a big crowd at Marukyu," Yukiko told the others. "…I'm not surprised. But was it really her on yesterday's Midnight Channel? Didn't she seem a little… different?" Chie asked, bringing up the topic of what they all just saw last midnight. "It was her, no doubt about it! Her curves… her posture… even her beautiful, slim legs!" An awed look appeared on Yosuke's face as he said all that, causing Yu and Chie to stare at him for a good moment. "…What's that look for?" The brunette girl eventually spoke up.

Yosuke shook his head to snap out of it. "A-Anyways, I'm positive! Right!?"

…Yu couldn't help but feel like his best friend could be a creepy guy sometimes - and by sometimes, he meant all the time.

"Uhh, are we going?" Kanji asked, looking disinterested. "I don't really care about celebrities, but it's not like I got anything better to do… sure, I'll tag along."

"Sorry, but me and Yukiko have plans. Give us a call if anything comes up," Chie said.

That meant only Yu, Kanji and Yosuke would be doing the investigation this time. "Well, shall we get going? But let's be clear on one thing: we're not spectators. We're on an investigation, got it?" Yosuke reminded them all. "Of course." Yu got up from his seat, keeping his gaze averted from Kanji. The last thing he wanted at the moment was for his face to go red whenever his eyes met the blonde boy's own bluish grey ones.

Despite all that, he went with the two other boys to the Marukyu Tofu shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon arriving at the tofu shop, there was a large crowd outside the entrance of the shop. Dojima's partner, Adachi, was directing traffic outside.

"Huh? Um, Mr. Detective, did something happen?" Yosuke asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight. Adachi glanced at him and noticed Yu and Kanji too. "Oh, it's you guys." He sighed while shaking his head. "Ai yi yi… these gawkers keep streaming in with their cars, trying to park in the middle of the shopping district," he answered. "Why's that?" Kanji then asked about that.

"Don't you know? Rise Kujikawa's here. Hey, did you see her already? Is she there? Which is it?"

"Huh…? We're askin' why a plainclothes detective is here doing traffic control."

"Oh… uh, well… the Inaba Police Department isn't that big, and we don't have enough staff… well, I still have work to do, so I'll see you later." Adachi then left in a hurry. Yosuke stared at the fleeting figure of the young detective before looking at the blonde boy in shock. "Dude… you managed to scare off a police detective on active duty…"

"I wasn't trying to scare the guy, I just said what I was thinking," Kanji tried to explain himself.

"But you're right, it's weird for the police to come out like this… hey… you think the police suspect that Rise might be the next target, too?"

Then, Yu could hear the familiar voice of his uncle come from inside the shop. "Alright, clear out. Coming through…"

Dojima came out of the shop, looking around. "Hey, Adachi! Dammit… I told him not to leave his post…" He soon noticed the trio of boys, including his nephew. "What are you guys doing-- hm? Kanji Tatsumi…!? Are you friends with them?" he questioned. Kanji acted nonchalant. "Like it's any of your business…" he muttered. Dojima was silent for a few seconds, wondering whether to just let it be. "…If you say so. So I'll ask again: What are you all doing here?"

"We're just passing by, uncle," Yu told him, putting on a calm expression so his uncle didn't suspect anything.

"…Is that so?"

"Oh, um… w-well, who wouldn't wanna come check it out if they found out an idol's family ran an ordinary tofu store? I'm, uh… a big fan!" Yosuke added. The older detective narrowed his eyes, trying to see if these three were lying in any way… but in the end, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But remember. She might be a celebrity, but this is her home. Try not to bother them too much." He then left, looking for Adachi. Kanji glanced at the silver-haired boy. "That cop's your uncle, eh…?"

Yu tensed a little as he felt some heat rush to his cheeks. He hoped that it wasn't too noticeable in the hot sun. "Yes… he is. From my mother's side."

"Oh, okay. So, what the hell was that about? Are you guys under suspicion…?"

"Well, they did take us in once…" Yosuke sheepishly scratched his head. "But we can't just tell him everything, right? If we say anything about the other world, we only look more suspicious. They'll be watching us all the time."

"Got a point there…"

At that moment, a young guy came out of the shop saying that there was no one inside but an old lady. An older man said that it was probably a rumour that Rise was here. The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only the trio left at the front of the shop.

Yosuke looked more devastated than he should be. "A rumour!? What, she's not here!? Seriously!?"

"Pfft, you sound like the world's about to end." Kanji chuckled at the brunette boy's reaction. His words caused Yosuke to blush in embarrassment. "Shuddup! Anyways, now that all those people are gone, we might as well check inside. I'll buy something."

Yu recalled that his best friend can't eat tofu normally from someone… "I recommend you buy some ganmodoki, then," he told him. Yosuke was surprised to hear that. "How'd you know I can't eat tofu? Wow, that's considerate of you." He seemed somewhat happy. "…Wait, what's ganmodoki again? Is it the kind with a rice cake in it?"

"There's no rice cakes in 'em… they're sorta like… fried tofu patties with veggies and stuff in, and…" Kanji ended up giving the brunette boy a crash course on ganmodoki. Yosuke managed to understand it, at least. "Ohhh, okay, I know what you mean! I think I can eat that."

With that finished, they entered the shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the shop, there didn't seem to be anyone else other than the old lady handling something at the other end of the room.

"Let's see here… sure enough… the only one here is your typical old lady." Yosuke sighed, his hopes of seeing Rise more or less shattered. "Man, why don't you just ask if she's in back?" Kanji told him with a shake of his head. "'Scuse me!" he called out, and an old lady came out from the back of the store to respond. "Yes, may I help you?"

Wait, what?

"What the--!? Then, who's that…?" Yosuke stared at the person at the other end of the shop, who straightened herself to reveal… Rise Kujikawa. In the flesh. "…What?" She looked at them with a furrowed brow. A silence fell among them all, which Kanji eventually broke by asking her. "Uh… are you Rise?"

"Yeah. So?"

It really was her. Yosuke almost couldn't believe it. "No way… are you really Risette?"

"What do you want?"

"Huh…? Oh, sorry, um… some tofu, please!"

"Tofu…? Which kind?"

"Huh? Wh-Which one's which again…?" The brunette boy tried to remember what he and the others planned on buying. "If you're going to eat it by itself, you should go with silken. Momen's better for cooking… depends how you use it," Rise recommended to him.

"U-Um…" Yosuke then glanced at Kanji, whispering at him. "Psst, Kanji! Order something!"

"Wha--!? Why're you making me do it!? You already picked ganmo a second ago!" Kanji whispered back with an exasperated voice. He looked at Rise and ordered anyway. "Dude here wants three ganmodoki."

Rise nodded. "Oh, I see… I'll go get them." As she went to get the ganmodoki, the trio of boys whispered among themselves. "Wow… she's nothing like she seems on TV… I wonder if she's just tired…" Yosuke commented. "Man, but it's really her… I'm so glad I came! Mission comple-- wait, we haven't done what we came here for yet!" He realised that they completely forgot about it.

"You better ask, then," Yu whispered back at him. "M-me? Alright then…" The brunette boy nervously nodded and looked at Rise. "Um…! H-Have you noticed anything weird lately?" he asked her. Rise stopped her working to look back at him. "Weird…? Like stalkers? Are you guys fans of mine?" she questioned with suspicion in her voice. Kanji glanced at Yosuke. "I wouldn't say 'we', but yeah, dude here's a big fan."

Yosuke glared at the blonde boy. "You little…! Why'd you let that slip!?"

"'Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs'… ya finished checkin' em out yet, or what?"

"Waaaaaaah! Y-You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!? I didn't say that! I never said any of that!"

At that point, Yu was trying not to laugh at the scene happening in front of him. What a way for Yosuke to get exposed like this…

Desperately attempting to recover from that, Yosuke cleared his throat and explained to Rise why he asked. "Maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately. That's why we've been investigating some stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Rise raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, um… let's see… do you know about the TV show that comes on at midnight? I mean, it's not like regularly scheduled programming… how do I explain this…?"

"…That thing that was on last night? The Midnight Channel, yeah?"

Seems like Rise had seen it too. Yosuke almost took it in stride. "Oh, you know about it… wait… what!? You mean you saw it last night!?"

"I heard the rumours from some friends of mine. But that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before. And the bustline…"

"Huh?"

"Mine aren't that big."

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean now… I-I mean… what am I saying!? U-Um, I'm sorry…!" The brunette boy was beyond embarrassed now, apologising for his words. Rise smiled at him, surprisingly enough. "…Don't apologize so much. You're funny."

Genuine surprise appeared on Yosuke's face for a moment. "Hey, she smiled…" he whispered.

"What is that show about, anyway?"

"Well, we're not too sure either… but you know there's been stuff happening here, right? We think the people who appear there… are the ones who get kidnapped next."

"I know this is sudden, but we're not lying," Kanji added. Yosuke nodded at that. "Yeah, that's why we thought you should know about it."

"Huh… so that wasn't a dream. I was tired yesterday, but I couldn't sleep. And it was raining, so I decided to try that rumour I'd heard about… hmm." Rise thought about it for a few moments, then she smiled. "Alright, thanks… I'll be careful." She gave them a small bag. "Here you go, three ganmo. That'll be 600 yen. There's extra tofu in there for everyone… a little thank-you for worrying about me."

"Whoa, seriously? Thanks!" Yosuke grinned as he took the bag. "Yosuke-senpai, you can't eat tofu, right? Want me to take yours?" Kanji offered to him, but the brunette boy shook his head. "Hell no! I always eat what people give me."

In the meantime, Rise approached Yu as well. "Here, some tofu for you too." She gave him another bag of tofu. "O-oh, thank you." The silver-haired boy accepted it with a nod. The dark brunette girl gave him a smile before going back to do her work. Yu looked inside the bag, seeing that there was a bunch of tofu… he could probably eat it for dinner tonight with his uncle and cousin.

Anyway, the trio's job was done. It was time they went back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

During dinner, Yu noticed that his uncle was sort of on edge as they ate dinner.

"We sure have a lot of tofu," Nanako commented, seeing that a separate plate was on the small table bearing a few blocks of tofu. "Yeah… it tastes great," Dojima said, but then he looked at his nephew. "You visited Rise Kujikawa today. What did you talk about?" he asked with a stern look in his eyes. Yu hesitated in answering, but he couldn't lie to his uncle in this case. "…About the cases."

The expression on the detective's face turned sour. "I told you to keep your hands off this. Listen, this is a job for the police." After saying that, he sighed. "Forget it… I shouldn't have brought it up."

Nanako perked up at the mention of the idol's name. "You guys met Rise-chan!?"

Another sigh came from the man. "Yeah…"

The little girl could sense the growing tension in the room. "Are you… fighting again?"

Dojima shook his head. "Of course not… here, hurry and finish your dinner."

Even with that, the tense atmosphere continued into the night. Yu had to excuse himself to go up to his room because of it – it was raining again tonight, and he'll have to see if the girl on the Midnight Channel really was Rise Kujikawa. His uncle was going to be an obstacle in their investigation, whether from now on or in the future, it's something he and the others will have to keep alert of. Even worse that his uncle might as well suspect him even more due to his time as a delinquent.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui stood in front of TV once more as midnight was merely a few seconds away.

She had gotten so used to doing this every rainy night alongside staring at the dim reflection of herself that she was getting into the act of living as _Yu Narukami_ with her friends and as _Yui Narukami_ when she was alone or with her grandfather's secretary. She was worried if someone would find out her secret, but from the looks of it, they were all fooled by her boyish appearance. Now she hoped that they will keep being fooled until she returned back home, and they'll all continue to live with the thought that the leader of their team was a great guy and not a skanking girl.

…She also hoped that this stupid crush would disappear too.

The TV eventually came to life which broke her out of her thoughts. Again, there was a figure through the static – it was the same girl as before, still wearing a swimsuit. Yui tried not to grimace as the 'show' emphasized on the girl's chest area and waist like last time, but what made the difference this time was that it showed the girl waving at the screen, smiling giddily. The image was clear enough for the silver-haired girl to take a better look.

It was Rise.

Right as the Midnight Channel ended, Yui's cell phone rang out. She picked it up, hearing Yosuke's voice on the other end.

_"Hey! We were right about it being Rise Kujikawa! The one on tonight seemed a lot creepier than the real Rise, but you could see her face clearly. There's no mistake. Let's all get together as soon as possible tomorrow!"_

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."

The call ended there, leaving the silver-haired girl standing in her room in silence. Another potential victim… would they be able to save her before she's kidnapped?

Although there was hope for that, Yui had a dreaded feeling that they'll fail.


	23. Maru-Q

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group manages to find a way to get to where Rise is. The place isn't what they expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As expected of the title, the team manages to enter the striptease... man, the music for that dungeon is awesome. Which reminds me, now I have to play the game again since I reached the part I paused at, which is at the entrance of Rise's dungeon... it's like scrambling into an inferno of 'what the hell was I planning to do before all this' and 'oh god game mechanics'. Welp.
> 
> /and finding mistakes when reading this fanfic's chapters are still painful to see and fix ;w;

After school ended, the group gathered at Junes to talk about what they saw yesterday night.

One thing for sure, they could rule out the assumption that the victims were connected to the incident with Ms. Yamano. Plus, the 'TV show' that appears on the Midnight Channel apparently does not occur until after the person entered the TV. But as they discussed more on the topic, more questions arose about the Midnight Channel and the killer's motive… though one thing for sure, they had another shot at stopping the killer. So, they'll be starting another stakeout.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Before going to Marukyu Tofu, they stopped by Shiroku Store first to get some stuff.

"We gotta go with donuts and milk," Chie suggested. Yosuke looked at her and nodded in agreement. "You said it. There's no better meal than that for a man on a stakeout. Oh, and throw in some disposable diapers."

"For what!? They don't even sell those here!"

"We have 'em at Junes."

The brunette girl shook her head. She didn't need to know that. "Too much information!"

Kanji glanced at the two. "You guys finished yet? Let's hurry up and get going."

Just then, the young detective who was handling the traffic yesterday entered the store. Yu narrowed his eyes in suspicion – he had a feeling that Adachi was… kind of following them. Surprise evident on his face, Yosuke asked the detective why he was here. Adachi scratched the back of his head. "Oh, uh… well… I'm doing legwork. Ugh, what did I do to deserve babysitting detail…? I-I mean, it's nothing major. It's not like Dojima-san ordered me here. So what are you kids up to? Buying snacks?"

"We were just about to head over to the tofu shop to see Rise-chan."

"Oh… I see. H-Heyyy! I'm on my way there too!"

"Oh, then why don't we go there together?" Chie offered. When she saw the looks she got from the others, she tried to make them see the reason why. "C'mon, he's a detective on active duty. Not a bad guy to have around!"

They all relented in the end, and so they began the stakeout at the tofu shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a small while there, Yukiko noticed that some freaky guy was up on a pole outside the shop. Upon being noticed, the guy ran away quickly. The group including Adachi gave chase, cornering him at the gas station – and the busy road behind it. The suspicious man was panicking. "D-don't come near me!"

"Shaddup! What kinda idiot would listen to-" Kanji was yelling at him when he was cut off by the guy yelling out. "I-I'll do it, you know! What're you gonna do if I get run over!?"

"Wh-what…!?" Yosuke's eyes widened. This guy can't be serious…

"N-No! If the suspect gets injured, the police will be held responsible… they'll get really angry, and…" Adachi then realised what he just said. "…Um."

At those words, the suspicious man took a few steps back. "I'll do it, I swear! S-So get outta here and stop chasing me!"

Now they needed to stop him from doing that. Yosuke looked at Yu. "H-Hey, what should we do?" he asked in a murmur. The silver-haired boy quickly took in the situation and picked a choice. "We need to tackle him from the front. Think you can do that?" he asked him. Yosuke nodded. "Should be no problem."

"Alright… Kanji? You up for it?" Due to the tense situation, Yu was able to keep calm as he looked at the blonde boy. Kanji nodded too, a determined expression on his face. "Yeah, let's take him down."

Yu then gave the brunette boy a signal to do the distraction. "Okay, on my mark…" Yosuke told them, before he suddenly pointed behind the man. "Look over there! A Martian!" he shouted, taking the guy by surprise. Then, the trio of boys tackled him down before the suspicious man could do anything drastic. The attempt was successful, and soon they dragged him away from the road to the front of the gas station.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Taking a closer look at the man, Yu noted that the guy had a camera and bore a look that reminded him of those… _pervert_ photographers that secretly take photos of idols without their knowledge. Was this really the murderer…? He was too sloppy to be the murderer that has been a step ahead of them twice and managed to take two other lives before Yukiko was kidnapped… anyway, the suspicious man was angry at being tackled, as expected. "H-how dare you assault an ordinary citizen like—" He was cut off by Kanji who yelled at him. "Shut the hell up, murderer! We're taking your punk ass in!"

"Wha--!? Time out! What do you mean, 'murderer'!?"

"It's no use playing dumb!" Chie gave the man a stern look.

"W-Wait a second! I just really like Risette, so I wanted to take a peek in her room… look, see!" The man held up the camera that hung around his neck. "All I've got on me is a bunch of cameras!"

Adachi seemed convinced that the guy was the killer. "Yep, you're the culprit, all right. No two ways about it." He looked at the group of teenagers that had helped him catch the man with a smile. "All right, I'll take it from here." A serious expression appeared on his face when he looked back at the guy. "We'll hear your story down at the station…" Then for a moment, he seemed to get excited. "Oh, how I've waited to use that line!"

"P-Please! Let me go! I didn't do anything wrong! I-I know for a fact it's not a crime in this country to take secret pictures!"

"Hey, don't you understand what's happening here? You're under suspicion of murder! Come with me! We'll talk about this later!" Adachi told the man in a sombre tone, going over to cuff the man's hands up. He then grinned at the others. "Wow, that went better than I thought! What a coup! I gotta thank you guys for all your help! Well done!"

"Oh… sure!" Yosuke nodded in surprise. They're actually being thanked by a detective…

"But you really should stop getting involved with this stuff. It's dangerous. I know Dojima-san was worried sick." Adachi looked at the man with a stern look. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Is it… really over?" Yosuke murmured, blinking a few times. Did they finally managed to catch the killer…?

"Rest is up to the cops…" Kanji muttered, looking at Adachi and the suspicious man. Chie was excited at the fact that they solved the mystery. "Looks like the killer was a pervert, just like we thought. Wait… does this mean the case is closed? Seriously!? Awesome!"

"Hey, we should let Rise know the good news!" Yosuke then suggested. They all nodded in agreement and were about to enter the shop when Rise's grandmother went to the entrance of it. "Oh, hello. Would you like some tofu?"

"Oh, h-hello. Umm…"

"Oh, did you come to see Rise? She seems to have gone out, unfortunately…"

"Huh? But wasn't she just here?"

"She does that sometimes. She'll just wander out without a word… you must forgive her. She's quite worn out, in many ways."

"She left… without saying anything?"

"C'mon, you worry too much! She must've just stepped out. I mean, we caught the guy," Adachi told the brunette boy with a smile. The guy they caught looked at him in shock. "Wh-What are you talking about…?"

"We'll discuss it later. If you'll excuse me, I've gotta take this guy in for questioning," The young detective then said to the teenagers. A grin appeared on his face as he left with the suspicious man. "Man, I can't wait to see the look on Dojima-san's face!"

However, now there was something troubling the group.

"She left without saying anything…? Could that mean…?" Yukiko murmured, worry in her voice. "Shouldn't we look for her!? She can't have gone far." Yosuke was getting worried too. Chie nodded at that. "Y-yeah, I agree!"

So the five of them tried to search for Rise…

~*~*~*~*~*~

…But their efforts brought nothing as they gathered up at the tofu shop again.

"I can't find her anywhere. What about you guys?" Chie asked the others. Yukiko shook her head. "None of the neighbours have seen her…" she told them.

"Maybe we're just not looking in the right places… but where could she have gone?"

Yosuke sighed. "Dammit, this can't be good. I hope I'm wrong…"

"Well, we did everything we can. No use griping about it." Kanji spoke up. He was right – if they really did fail, then the best they could do was to save her from that world. "The weatherman says it's gonna rain tonight, so let's just keep our fingers crossed and tune in."

With heavy hearts, they resorted to watching the Midnight Channel tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

With the rain as her music, Yui stood in front of the TV in her room as she waited for midnight to strike. While she still hoped that Rise wasn't already kidnapped, the fact that her TV soon came to life with a clear and vivid image brought her worst fears to life. A figure then walked into the middle of the screen, revealing itself to be Rise in a golden coloured swimsuit… or rather, it was her _shadow_.

" ** _'Maru-Q! Push Risette!' Good evening, good evening! I'm Rise Kujikawa!_** " Rise's shadow greeted herself. Yui was almost on the verge of covering her eyes as the camera then did a closeup on the shadow's nearly naked body, slowly moving upwards. " ** _This spring, one young girl levels up to become a high school idol… yayyy! So today, I'm gonna celebrate by pushing the limits of Standards & Practices! Does everybody know what time it is? Showtime! Show what, huh? Hmhmhm… e-very-thing!_**"

The camera focused back on the entrance, where Rise's shadow ran forward and stood with her back to the screen. " ** _Eee, how embarrassing! Is this too hot for TV!?_** " She turned around to face the camera, still smiling flirtatiously. " ** _Well, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing all the way! I'm gonna bare it all for you! Heehee! Stay tuned!_** " The Midnight Channel ended there, leaving Yui feeling very uncomfortable at seeing a girl in a full bikini outfit. But the worst of all was that Rise was kidnapped, for sure.

Her cell phone soon rang out, and she took it out of her pocket to answer it. "Hello?"

It was Yosuke again. _"Hey, d-did you see Risette on TV?! I-Is she serious about baring it all!? Is it me, or all these shows getting crazier and crazier!?"_ He sounded… excited, though.

"Let's rescue her quick before that happens."

_"Y-Yeah, exactly. 'Cause I bet her Shadow self is gonna do whatever it wants again. But man… we couldn't prevent the kidnapping this time either… even when we knew who the target would be. That detective from this afternoon was no help at all. I guess we'll have to do everything ourselves… a-anyways, see you tomorrow!"_

"See you tomorrow too, Yosuke." Yui ended the call and sighed. It was up to them to save Rise now… no one else could do that but them.

* * *

 

The next day, they all went into the TV world after school ended to meet up with Teddie.

"Heeeey, Teddie, you okay?" Chie noticed that the bear was facing away from them all. "I wasn't crying," Teddie told them, then he suddenly fell down to his hands and knees. "Everyone was having fun out there. You forgot all about me… I was abandoned."

"No, we would never do that!"

"I'm sorry… were you lonely?" Yukiko apologised before asking him. Teddie got up, sounding so despaired. "I was bored. It made me all listless. I'm a useless bear. I don't even know what I am. I couldn't figure it out… no one would come visit me… then I thought I heard voices coming from your world. They were all having so much fun… I was so lonely that I tried to cry. But I couldn't…"

"Well, you are hollow inside…" Yosuke muttered, his arms crossed. Teddie turned around to face him and stomped the ground angrily. "Shut up! Stop saying I'm hollow!"

"Don't snap at me! This is your world, isn't it!? You're the one who said you just want to live here peacefully, and made us promise to find the culprit!" The brunette boy yelled back at him, almost causing the bear to fall. Chie stepped forward to try and calm the bear down. "C'mon, I'm sure Teddie's just tired from thinking so much, right?" Her words only made the bear turn away from them again. "When I'm alone, I think too much. It makes me even lonelier. I was so sad that my chest would burst and cotton would fly out…"

So, to calm him down, both Chie and Yukiko stroked Teddie's head. He soon turned around to give them a pitiful look. "Can I try scoring with you two someday?" he asked meekly. Chie smiled. "Sure, go right ahead!" she told him. Yukiko didn't seem so happy about this 'scoring' business. "Can we please drop the whole 'scoring' thing…?"

…They had more pressing matters to focus on.

"Anyways, we wanted to ask you something! How's it been over here? Did a girl called Rise Kujikawa show up? Can you sense anything?" Yosuke asked the bear. Teddie looked at him. "Rise Kujikawa? Hm…?"

"You can't tell…? You nose is kinda losing its edge lately, huh?"

Now Teddie was getting even sadder. "I'm a pretty shabby bear… soon, I won't be useful at all. Then I'll get thrown away…"

"No, that's not true…" Yu told him. They need him to solve this mystery, and that makes him an important member of this team.

"I can… stay with you all?"

The silver-haired boy nodded. "Of course."

"Okay. Then we'll go look for something that'll help you search, like last time," Chie said to the bear. "I can't tell for sure. But I can kinda sense someone in here… I think I'll be able to find her. I just need some kind of hint," Teddie informed them. Then it'll be just like when they had to save Kanji – they need to find information about Rise that'll be enough for Teddie to find her whereabouts… guess they'll have to try asking around town. Everyone except Yu left first, leaving the boy with Teddie. "There's a lot of things I don't understand…" The bear admitted sadly.

Teddie kept talking as if he had to do this alone… but he doesn't. "Hey, we'll figure it out. I promise." Yu smiled gently at the bear. Even a smile appeared on Teddie's face at his words. "Thank you beary much. You're really kind, Sensei… I'll try even harder from now on," he told the boy. He's doing his best to try and find his role in life… now Yu could feel a faint bond forming between himself and Teddie.

Whispers spoke in his head again as the _Star Social Link_ of the _Star Arcana_ was formed.

…If the boy was honest, he wouldn't have expected to have a Social Link with a bear like Teddie.

"I'll be waiting here…" Teddie told him. Yu nodded, giving the bear a smile before he left for the real world. For a moment, Teddie stared as the silver-haired boy left the world. "Hmm… Sensei looks kinda like Yuki-chan and Chie-chan…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in the real world, Yu decided to go back to school to start off. After asking some students if they knew anything about Rise, he got information that there was a guy who was supposedly Rise's biggest fan at the school, so he looked for a guy who was probably the most pathetic person in the place… and sure enough, he was in luck. He found a fat boy on the second floor of the Practice Building who immediately gushed out about being Risette's biggest fan when he asked about her.

Holding back the urge to roll his eyes, Yu just went straight to the point. "Look, I just wanna know what's happening to her lately."

"…Oh, you just want like, a status update? Well, nothing's been bigger than the bomb she dropped about taking time off for a little R&R. Her blog may have some hints about why, but… well, there are a lot of theories out there. As a fan, I'm devastated. But I guess there's not much I can do about it… if you want more up-to-the-minute info, shouldn't you be asking someone in the media or something? Maybe I'll send a letter through her fan club… hmph, I wonder if those'll even reach her now…"

The fan wasn't really giving much important info. Yu reluctantly thanked the guy for telling him that and quickly left the school – maybe he could ask Rise's grandmother about this.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu headed for the riverbank by the flood plains after hearing from Rise's grandmother about some person with a camera… a man of the paparazzi. When he arrived there, he soon realised that the man wasn't anywhere to be found, so he decided to ask around. A kind man just so happened to have the answers he needed.

"The paparazzi… I don't know much about them, but I see cameramen and the like around here sometimes. They're obviously from out of town, so they caught my eye. But now that you mention it, I haven't seen any today…" The man told him. Yu thanked him anyway – seems like he'll have to return here tomorrow. He began to walk back to school since Ai had asked if he wanted to hang out with her… when he noticed the dog again, with it growling at him when he got closer. He decided to talk gently to it again like last time. "I won't hurt you… really."

The dog whimpered, seemingly becoming less wary of him. Yu smiled, noticing how the dog wasn't running away now. It looked like the dog liked him now… but it seems to be out of energy. Perhaps it's hungry… remembering that he had bought a steak skewer back on his trip to ask Rise's grandmother as a small snack, he decided to give that to the dog. He chuckled as the dog ate the steak, barking happily. It then ran away energetically… it should be able to return to its owner's house now.

With that done, Yu continued his walk to school. He'll report this to the fox another time.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After agreeing to hang out with Ai, Yu waited by the shoe lockers as she told him that she had something to handle for a few moments and said that she would be right back. A familiar voice calling out to him made him turn around, revealing it to be Daisuke. "What's up, Yu? Our class had a guest speaker in the auditorium today, so..."

The silver-haired boy looked behind the brunette, seeing a trio of students who approached them both. "Oh yeah, you guys are both on the soccer team, huh?" One of them asked. The second of them then remembered something. "Hey... isn't Ai Ebihara your manager!?" he asked with wide eyes. The first student grinned. "Seriously!? Damn, now I'm jealous!"

Daisuke tried to recall that name. "Ai Ebihara...? Oh, her. She's never around."

"Heh, probably because she's always on the prowl for guys."

The student who was smirking spoke up. "Yeah, I heard she's pretty loose. And doesn't she look like she's got a sugar daddy or two?"

"Yeah, she's stacking the paper."

"I wonder how much she gets paid...?"

"Damn, dude, don't hold back or anything!"

The conversation from that point on just got more and more vulgar. Yu almost had the urge to punch them in the head for talking about someone like that, but forced himself to speak in a calm manner. "Hey, you shouldn't speak about her like that."

Just like that, the conversation stopped abruptly. Hell, even Daisuke was offended. "Knock it off, guys. Maybe someone should spread some rumours about you, and we'll see how you like it," he told the trio. They decided to stop talking about Ai then. "Alright, alright... aw shit, I'm gonna be late for the meeting!" The three students quickly ran off in the direction of the auditorium, leaving Daisuke with Yu. "Sorry about that... sounds like they've got the hots for our manager. They were talking like that at practice too... but don't worry, I'll yell at them later, man," The brunette boy told him.

Yu nodded. "It's alright… but give them a good scolding for it, yeah?"

Daisuke just smiled. At least he was considerate enough to stop the trio from talking so vulgarly about Ai, even if she doesn't 'manage' the team. "Well, I'll see you later." He soon left, and right as the silver-haired boy was about to look back to the entrance, he noticed Ai coming out from the corner with a sad expression. Yu blinked a few times, unsure of how to approach this. "…Did you hear them?" he asked quietly. The dirty blonde girl looked down at the wooden floor, her sadness evident in her voice too. "They were practically yelling. Not that... stuff like that really bothers me. I expect it."

Yet, the sorrow in her eyes betrayed the words she spoke.

"They don't even know me. Why should I care what they think...? I'm fine..." Then, a rosy hue appeared on Ai's cheeks. She was blushing happily. "But... thanks."

In a way, Yu felt like he could understand Ai even better… because of it, the _Moon Social Link_ grew stronger once more.

Ai stared at him in silence for a moment. "I'm gonna head home... and you're gonna walk with me," she told him. The silver-haired boy had no say in that and did as she told him to do… he walked her home first before going back to his own home.

* * *

 

Saturday was a rainy day, and Yu was worried if the guy who was a part of the paparazzi wouldn't be at the flood plains. Thankfully, he quickly noticed a man with a camera standing around in the area and he quickly approached him. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Hello, how's it going?" The photographer greeted him. "Well… I was wondering if you know anything about Rise Kujikawa…" Yu asked him.

"…Oh, you came to ask about Rise Kujikawa? You're looking for information about Rise, too?" The photographer was quiet for a moment, thinking about something. "…Well how about this? Why don't we exchange information? You tell me what you know, I'll tell you what I know. The people in the shopping district are making it hard for me to do any information gathering."

As much as this was violating Rise's right to a private life, Yu needed to do that so he and the others could save her from a fate of death in the TV world. "Well, she's apparently different on TV," he told the man.

"Hmm, as I thought… to be honest, I used to do a little digging into Risette's private life. I was surprised to discover she's totally different than on TV. You'd never recognize her in real life. Honestly, though, when you think of an idol you should honestly just assume 'manufactured personality', too."

The silver-haired boy was surprised to see that the photographer knew quite a lot about Rise. But this probably wasn't enough… he decided to tell the man something else when he was asked if he had any other information. "I think she's really stressed…"

"She's stressed, huh…? I guess that's what it is, then… you see, I've been trying to find the reason behind the shocking hiatus. And the most convincing thing I heard so far was that 'Risette' got tired of her made-up personality. Her identity as an idol, as opposed to how she normally is… she couldn't stand living two lives anymore… that sounds about right. Well, you didn't give me anything new, but thanks for the information. I can at least turn this into something…"

Yu nodded and thanked the man for the information. He went over to a tree to think over the information he just got from the paparazzo – it seemed like Rise was acting as a 'manufactured personality' and was worrying about her 'normal self' and her 'idol self'. She was surely worrying about her true self… for a moment, the boy felt like a hypocrite. Here he was, finding out why Rise was so stressed when he himself is living a life as a person of the opposite gender. He lived so long acting as someone he's not… when the time _her_ lies are forced to be shed comes, would a trace of _her_ still have remained in him? It felt like a long shot.

Sighing, he decided to go to Junes while sending a message to everyone in the team to gather there.

He might as well check the notice board in the shopping district for any new jobs while he was at it. Maybe he could take the hospital janitor job… as degrading it is to be a janitor, when would he ever work as one in the late future?

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Teddie, I got some information for you."

"Oh, Sensei!" Teddie smiled as Yu approached him. "Did you find out more about this girl Rise-chan?" He listened to what the silver-haired boy had to tell him. "Hmhm… her real self… I see… she's just like me. The delicate, sentimental type. Then… hrmmm…" He suddenly could smell something. "Whaah!? There's something out there! Is this it? Did I find her!? Follow me!"

"Right guys, come on!" Yu told the others as he began to follow the bear into the fog, and everyone else followed suit.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The place Teddie led the group to was pitch black…

"What is this place…? It's all dark…" Chie murmured, looking around warily. Right after she said that, the lights suddenly came to life and illuminated the place with its blaring spotlights. Now they could see the whole place, which was had a magenta colour to almost everything mixed with other colours… there were cushion chairs and tables, silk curtains with large heart shaped patterns on them, neon lights with alternating colours, and a stage leading up to the entrance of the place.

Yu recognized what kind of place it was in a heartbeat, causing his face to flush red awkwardly. This is… he didn't even dare to think it. At least he was in front of everyone, so he quickly calmed himself down so they didn't see the redness in his face.

"Whoa… is this a…?" Chie was surprised to see such a place. "Oh, like the kind you always find in resort towns!?" Yosuke recognized the place too. "Ah, I think you're right… oh! B-But we don't have one… our inn is not like that…!" Yukiko added quickly. "Huh. So this is a strip joint, eh?" Kanji commented, seemingly calm at all this. Teddie perked up at what the blonde boy said. "Strip!? Aha! I know what that is! It's the thing zebras have, right!?" …He got no response from the others. "Strip… like a zebra, right!? Right!?"

Yukiko blinked a few times, not even hearing the bear's pun. "It's so bright here… even with the glasses on, my eyes hurt."

"Doesn't anyone get the joke!? Okay, let's try one more time… strip… it's something zebras have… eh?"

Chie glared at Teddie. "Can anyone shut this thing up!?"

Finally, the black-haired girl focused on what Chie and Teddie were talking about… well, a little. "Huh? Zebra…? Sorry, what're we talking about?"

…Was she not listening at all?

Teddie sighed morosely. "I-I won't say it again… let's hurry on…"

So, the group pushed on into the place – the _Marukyu Striptease_.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On the third floor, Teddie smelled that something was on this floor.

He was right, as they entered a large hall upon opening one of the doors… and there was Rise's shadow, clad in a golden coloured bikini while a dark blue aura emanated from her form. Her striking yellow eyes were wide and gleeful even as the group entered the place.

"It's Rise!" Yosuke noticed the shadow standing there amidst the fog surrounding her. "But something's not right…" Chie also detected something off. "It must be her other self…" Yukiko murmured, watching as the shadow then spoke into a microphone, a spotlight on her.

" ** _Hello, all you fans out there! Thanks for coming today! Today, you're gonna see every last inch of me! What's that? You don't believe me? Ahahah! Okay, okay! Then why don't we- oh, but you won't be able to see with all this smoke, huh? Okie-dokie! Just follow me a little further in and I'll prove that I'm every bit as good as my word!_** " Above Rise's shadow appeared a huge TV logo, now in bright purple and pink colours. On it were the words _'Maru-Q Midsummer Night's Dream Special, All the Way [Live!! Hot!!] Risette EXPOSED!!'_.

…Admittedly, it's way worse than last time.

Kanji had to look away from the sight in front of him. "W-Were we like that…? That's… going kinda far…" Even he couldn't believe what he was seeing… the fact that his shadow might've been similar to this was embarrassing. The sudden cheering of a hidden crowd reminded the group of the fact that there was possibly real people watching this right now. "Sheesh, the roar of the crowd is insane this time… it's making me feel sick…" Chie muttered, looking a little troubled. "If people really are watching this… we gotta do something, and fast," Yosuke said, gripping his weapon tightly as the shadow continued to speak.

" ** _All right, Risetteers! Don't touch that dial! When we come back, you'll get a good, long look at the real me! Maru-Q!_** " Rise's shadow then ran off. Yosuke realised the direness of the situation now. "W-We'd better move it! This is a thousand times worse than just hearing a few nasty secrets!"

Then they heard murmurs from every corner of the room. "The Shadows are really getting aggravated!" Teddie alerted the others. "What we just saw is what that Rise girl is suppressing! She'll be in trouble at this rate!"

Kanji now really felt like a member of the team. "So, guess I'm on the rescue team now. Alright, let's hurry up and go!"

The Investigation Team soon ran ahead in chase of the shadow. Hopefully they could get to Rise before anything bad happens to her… if they could get there in one piece.


	24. True Self

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team faces a whole new challenge once they reach the top, and it's something they never expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in a while... again. But the hardest papers for my exams have passed, yaaaay (also, NEVER READ NOTES FOR SCIENCE SUBJECTS LAST MINUTE. THERES NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR THAT). This chapter shall cover most of the events in Maru-Q Striptease, so have a bumpy or... squicky ride? Eh? Ehhh? //brick'd
> 
> Mr Giraffe (Guest) - It'll just get hotter from here on, hahahaha. Well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter then. I was barely able to write it at all as I had Chemistry, Biology and Physics exams all in the same week... ;w;

The shadows in this strip joint was tougher than the ones in the sauna, and it was made even harder the moment they stepped onto the seventh floor. The voice of the shadow echoed through the hall, her cheerful voice laced with distortion. " ** _Wow! I'm so happy you came! But still, I'm a little embarrassed… so I'm gonna turn out the lights!_** " Just like she said, the dim lighting in the place disappeared as the lights were turned off, leaving the group in total darkness.

"Whoa! It's so dark in there! This is dangerous! Be careful going onward, Sensei!" Teddie warned Yu. The silver-haired boy could only nod as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, letting him see a little of the path ahead. "This is going to be difficult…"

Yet he had no other choice but to keep moving forward. He just hoped that he wouldn't make a mistake that'll risk someone's life…

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a treacherous journey through the dark halls of the strip joint, they eventually came across a pair of curtains over a doorway with Rise's voice resonating from the room on the other side. " ** _You came! Okay. I'm ready for anything…_** "

Teddie gulped nervously. "…Are you ready, Sensei?"

Yu bit his lip, feeling just about the same like the bear. Taking a moment to steel himself, he nodded in response to Teddie's question. He looked at the others. "You guys ready too?" he asked, wanting the others' affirmation before going into this room – there was no doubt that they'll have to fight something in there. Getting a few nods back, he then opened the curtains and let the group enter. There, in the middle of the dark room was Rise's shadow… with a giant snake-like shadow behind her.

" ** _Ahahahahahahahaha! Look! C'mon, look at me!_** "

Before the Investigation Team could say anything, the giant shadow attacked them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It wasn't too much of a struggle to beat the shadow – it kept using attacks that could inflict ailments on them, and it even had a weakness to fire, so Yukiko's Agilao did much damage to it with both Rakunda on the shadow and other attacks from Kanji and Yosuke who were chosen by Yu to go in with him for the rescue mission. By the time the shadow's form was dispelled, the group soon noticed that Rise's shadow had already ran away... but at least the lights were on again.

"Oooh! It got all bright again!" Teddie smiled at being able to see without being in total darkness once more. "We did it, Sensei! What a relief… we can go now!"

They could continue their journey up now.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The trek up to the last floor was tedious and difficult as they encountered stronger shadows all while hearing voices and echoes from the halls, all of them using Rise's voice… to which Teddie responded about them strangely. But at least, now they were at the verge of saving her from her shadow. What stood in front of them was a doorway covered with the same pinkish curtains, the only thing left between them and Rise. Teddie looked at it in silence for a few seconds. "I think that girl Rise is ahead of here… but I'm not certain."

Yu glanced at the bear, then at the others. "…Everyone ready?"

He got nods from everyone, and so he lifted the curtains to let everyone run inside.

In the large room was a stage where Rise's shadow was currently standing with her back to a pole… while the real Rise was on her knees nearby, her head hung low. "There it is!" Chie saw the shadow there. "Look, the real one's here too!" Yosuke also noticed Rise near her shadow. Upon hearing their voices, the shadow laughed giddily with her voice laced with distortion. " ** _Aaahahahahaha! They're all watching! All eyes are on me now!_** "

"Stop it…!" Rise begged, her eyes shut tightly at the shameful sight of her shadow.

" ** _Awwww! What's the matter? You wanna show your stuff, don'tcha? How's this!?_** " The shadow then spun with her grip on the pole, hanging from it as she began to… grind against it. Rise couldn't bear the sight. "Please… stop this…"

Rise's shadow chuckled as she stopped grinding the pole, though she was starting to get annoyed. " ** _Oooh, she wants me to stop. That's so funny! As if that's even close to what you're really thinking, you little skank! You're me! And obviously, I'm you!_** "

"No… that's not true…"

Then the shadow promptly began grinding the pole once more. " ** _Ahahahahah! C'mon, look! You can't tear your eyes away! This is me! This is who I really am! Not Risette, the fake celebrity! Look at the girl right in front of you! I'm sick of being some airhead cliché who chokes down everything she's fed and takes it all with a smile! 'Risette'? Who the hell is she? There's no such person in this world! I'm no one but myself! C'mon, look at me!_** "

"That's not-I…!"

" ** _Well then, I guess it's time to prove it. I'm gonna show it all off! Let my naked truth be burned into your brains!_** "

At that point, Rise has had enough with her shadow, getting up and holding her head in denial. "Stop… stop it!" she yelled out. "You're…"

The Investigation Team soon realised what she was about to say. "No! Don't say it!" Chie shouted at her, but she was too late.

"You're… _not me!_ "

Those words have already been said and done.

The dark blue aura around Rise's shadow slowly began to grow darker with its form, and it only began to grind the pole even faster with the rush of power coming to it. " ** _Heehee, ahaha! Aaahahahahaha! Here it comes! Now, I'm finally myself!_** " The darkness focused onto the shadow as it absorbed many other shadows in the area, forming a monster that looked much like a pole dancer except with Rise's hair, a psychedelic pattern as its skin and a honeycomb screen as its face with a sharp pointed nose coming out of the middle… almost like a satellite.

Kanji gritted his teeth at the sight. Guess there's no way they're avoiding a battle now. "Tch… here we go!"

Now they were thrust into battle with the shadow.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rise's shadow hung on the giant pole, staring at them with the honeycomb screen. It would even step down to grind its body against the pole before returning to its original pose. " ** _I am a shadow… the true self… and now, the moment you've been waiting for! It's time for me to show you every last inch of myself! Heehee… and for our guests in the front row… I'll give you extra-special, extra-intense service!_** "

"Looks like she had issues of her own after all…" Yosuke muttered, now knowing how troubled Rise has been. He soon had a determined expression on his face. "But we'll stop her from going berserk!"

Kanji was a little taken aback at how twisted Rise's shadow was. To think that his own shadow was something like this as well… "So I was like this too…? Oh man…"

" ** _Ohhh? You're going to rush the stage? What an ill-mannered guest… maybe you're looking for an experience that's a little more intense!?_** "

Finally, the battle truly began.

The group first casted debuff spells on the shadow and buff spells on themselves, while the shadow began to attack them using fire spells. It seemed pretty much like a pushover at first, and they were soon able to attack her a good amount using physical and elemental spells. Soon, the shadow spoke to them in a teasing manner. " ** _Ahahaha! Enjoying yourself? I've got a ways to go until I show my true self… you ain't seen nothin' yet!_** " The shadow was now able to cast other spells… but none were particularly threatening.

…That is, until the group attacked Rise's shadow to the point it was nearly defeated. " ** _What…? I dealt all the exquisite pain and you're still not satisfied? What a finicky guest… you might as well die, then!_** " The shadow got off the giant pole and began grinding against it while the shadow casted a whole new spell – Supreme Insight, crying out in delight once finished. It practically analysed the whole team with it. " ** _No touching allowed. Ahaha!_** "

Suddenly, they found that their attacks just wouldn't seem to connect, all while they were the ones being attacked by the shadow.

" ** _I can see everything about you… ahaha!_** "

"What's the deal here?! Our attacks keep missing!" Chie was getting frustrated at how their attacks wouldn't hit the shadow. Yosuke felt the same way too. "Damn, it's like it's anticipating our every move…" he murmured, helpless at the fact that they couldn't seem to hit the shadow no matter what attacks they used. "I-I'm completely useless…" Teddie wasn't too happy as he was unable to help the team with this.

The pulse of a green wave coming from Rise's shadow alerted them.

"What the--!?" The brunette boy stared at the shadow in shock. "That power… I think it's scanning us! Ohh, this is not good!" Teddie was now starting to panic. Kanji glanced at the bear, not knowing what he meant. "When you say 'not good', what exactly does that mean!?"

A bright glow soon emanated from the shadow's form. " ** _Woohoo…! Analysis complete! Okay, here comes my counterattack! See if you can dodge, hmm?_** "

The group tensed up at the mention of a counterattack. Was this shadow serious?!

"S-Stop it!" Teddie yelled at it, but his attempt was useless as the shadow unleashed a blow that levelled them all. Everyone but the bear fell down, especially Yosuke who was flat on his back. "You gotta be kidding…" he spoke with a pained grimace. "How're we supposed to win…!?" Chie murmured, wincing at the pain of the attack. "A-Are we… going to die…?" Yukiko weakly asked, which the answer to it seemed obvious… "No! You guys can't die!" Teddie shook his head. His face soon fell as he looked at Yu. "What can I do…? Sensei…"

The silver-haired boy managed to smile reassuringly despite the pain in his body. "It's… up to you, Teddie…"

"There must be something… something I can do… am I going to be all alone again…?" The bear muttered to himself, holding his head. "No… that's not what I want!"

Another pulse of a green wave passed through the group from Rise's shadow. "Shit! It's winding up again…!" Kanji was in no shape to take another blow like that, just like the rest of the team. "I… I…" Teddie was struggling to come to a conclusion while all this happened. At the same time, a bright blue glow emanated from the shadow's form once more… " ** _Okie dokie, here we go again! Goodbye… forever!_** "

"Aw shit… it's coming!" Yosuke shouted in alarm, their impending doom now mere moments away. Unexpectedly, Teddie went to stand in front of the group once he heard those words. "M-My body's moving on its own! Wh-Why am I stepping forward!? Wh-Whoaaaa! I-I feel like I'm going bear-serk!" He was soon resolute in defending the team from the blow. "Grrrrr! I-I'll do it! Take a good look… at Teddie's last stand!" An aura akin to fire started to surround him…

Even the shadow was shocked at the sight. " ** _Huh…!? This high-energy reading… is it coming from that weird thing…!?_** "

"Teddie! What the hell are you doing!?" Kanji yelled at the bear, but his words went unheard as Teddie let out a deafening roar with the fiery aura around him growing ever fiercer. " _Roaaaaaaaaawr!_ " He ran towards the shadow as Yosuke called out to him… and a blinding flash forced everyone to look away. Once the light faded out, all that was left of the shadow was its original form on the stage, while Teddie… he wasn't looking too good. Once the team got on their feet, they quickly ran over to the bear who was now literally flattened thin like a sheet of paper. "Teddie! You idiot… you coulda died…" Kanji was genuinely worried for the bear.

"Did I… did I help…?" Teddie asked weakly, his voice cracking. "You didn't just help, you saved our lives!" Yosuke told him.

"Neat…! I'm so glad… I didn't want to be alone anymore…"

"Teddie…" Chie looked at the bear sadly as she heard those words. Teddie slowly tried to get himself up. "Ngh… urgh…" …Then he saw how flat his body was now. "Wh-what in the world?! Nooo… my fine, silky fur… I was so proud of it! Waaaah…" Well, seems like he's acting like he usually would. Yosuke just watched as the bear was devastated at how he looked. "Looks like he's gonna be just fine… I guess."

The teenagers soon ran past Teddie to check on Rise since he seemed okay, shocking the bear as they did.

"Rise-chan!" Yukiko looked at the dark brunette girl with concern. Rise was slowly waking up after all that happened. "Mm…? Where… am I…?" She sat up, feeling weak. "I'm sorry… it's all my fault…" she murmured, looking up guiltily at the people who just saved her. "No harm done," Yu told her with a reassuring smile. He's in no better shape like the rest of the team, but that easily was overshadowed by the success of saving another victim from this twisted world.

"Really…? Thank God…" Rise then got up to face her shadow that was still on the floor. "Here, stand up," she gently said to it. Her shadow soon slowly got up, a blank expression now on its face as it faced her. She began to talk. "I'm sorry… you must've been in a lot of pain up to now. You're part of me, but I kept refusing to admit you existed… I was trying to figure out who the real me was. But I realize now that I was on the wrong track. There is no 'real' me. It just doesn't exist."

Nearby, Teddie was becoming troubled as he heard those words. "There's no... real me…?"

"You… me… even Risette… they were all born from me. All of them are… _me_." Rise continued on, speaking out her true feelings. Her shadow then nodded with a small smile on its face, before fading out. In the shadow's place was a Persona that looked like a woman wearing a white gown, except that its head appeared as a large satellite and in its hands, it held a head device. The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest… she has faced her other self, obtaining the façade used to overcome life's hardships – the Persona _Himiko_.

Soon, Himiko became a tarot card and faded back into the depths of the dark brunette girl's heart.

Rise then turned to face the Investigation Team before she suddenly fell onto her knees as exhaustion hit her hard. "Rise-chan! Careful!" Yosuke tried to keep her steady. The idol looked up at him… and recognized him from that day he came with Yu and Kanji. "I'm all right… hey, you're the one who came to the store, right…?"

"Oh, yeah. And these guys came with me."

Yosuke stepped back, letting Yu introduce themselves briefly to tell her who they were and what the team did. Rise smiled, thankful that they went through all this to save her. "I thought I recognized you guys… thanks, everyone…"

"We'll explain everything later, but for right now-" Chie stopped talking as she glanced at Teddie, to which she was surprised by what she saw. Yukiko was confused at her best friend's reaction. "What's wrong, Chie?" she asked her. When she got no response, she looked at Teddie with the others. There, they saw the bear saying the same thing over and over, as if a cloud of despair fell over him. "There's… no real me…?" he said it in such a shocked way that Kanji was kind of worried about it. "H-hey, Teddie…"

"No, get back!"

The team looked at Rise in surprise as she got up. "Something's coming out of him…!"

…A distorted, deeper voice spoke from somewhere. " ** _Real?_** **_Me?_** " It chuckled deeply. " ** _Such foolishness…_** "

Right behind Teddie emerged his shadow, which looked like himself in his regular form… except much bigger and terrifying with its eerie yellow eyes peering brightly against its darkened face and the dark blue aura surrounding it. Everyone except Teddie who remained unaware was startled to see it appear there. "What is that thing…?!" Yosuke stared with wide eyes at the shadow looming over Teddie. It didn't take long for Chie to realise what this could only mean. "D-Don't tell me… is that the other Teddie? Teddie's hidden thoughts!?"

"I believe so, but it seems like there's more… I felt some powerful presence intervene…" Rise told her. Teddie was getting nervous at the tense air that grew among them. "Wh-What's going on!?" He attempted to turn around, his flat body giving him some difficulty. Once he did, his gaze immediately fell onto the sight of his shadow right behind him, nearly making him fall as he yelled out in shock. "Wh-Whoaa!"

Teddie's shadow began to speak, its voice much deeper unlike the real bear. " ** _The truth is unattainable… it will always be shrouded in fog. Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth… in which case, why…? What sense is there in yearning for truth? Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance… it is a much smarter way to exist._** "

"Wh-What're you talking about!? I don't understand a word you're saying!" Teddie retorted. "You're just making it sound difficult because I'm not that smart! How rude! Maybe you can't tell, but I'm thinking as hard as I can!"

" ** _It is those efforts that I am calling useless. You are hollow. Empty. At your core, you know this… you just cannot accept it. So you seek an alternate form… a denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is this truth._** "

"Th-That's… a lie…" Teddie held his head in denial, taking a few steps back from his shadow.

" ** _Shall I spell it out for you? You are but a mere-_** "

"I said _shaddup_!" The bear tried to strike his shadow, but was merely blown back without even a hint of movement from it. "Teddie!" Yukiko yelled out in alarm. Now it was just the rest of the Investigation Team with the shadow, who looked at them with that grim look on its face. " ** _It is the same for you all… you undergo suffering because of your search for the truth… this world is filled with thick, heavy fog… how can you find something when you know not what you search for?_** "

"Because the truth has to exist. Even if we don't know it, it's in this world, _somewhere_ ," Yu answered it with no hesitation. It was why they started to tackle this case, to save the victims thrown into the TV world, find the killer and thwart them before they could kidnap anyone else. His answer meant nothing to Teddie's shadow, however. " ** _Obtaining the truth is simple. All you have to do is believe that it is the truth… then I will grant you one truth… you will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death…_** "

Promptly after saying that, the shadow's aura began to darken heavily. Another fight was imminent…

"Dammit… how are we supposed to fight something like this without Teddie…?" Yosuke gritted his teeth. Teddie has always been the one to give them support from afar, but now it was the bear's own shadow that they were dealing with, and said bear is currently out of it. "It's all right… get ready, everyone," Rise told them, shocking the rest of the teenagers. "Hey, don't tell me you're fighting with us! You can't take it!" Chie said to her, but Rise wasn't backing out of it now. "I'm okay… I should be able to take that bear's place! It's my turn to save you all!"

With that, she summoned her Persona… and the team was thrown into another battle with the shadow that will soon become their toughest battle yet.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Teddie's shadow had grown gigantic, a hole in the floor where it emerged. In this form, it appeared almost like its bear suit was deteriorating with the head part of it having two holes where its eyes would be, revealing glaring sky blue eyes that peered at the team from the hollow darkness inside of it. Yu would've admitted to feeling somewhat shaken at the sight if he hadn't seen much worse before. After roaring, the shadow spoke with its deep and distorted voice. " ** _I am a shadow… the true self… I shall give you the 'truth' you claim to hold so dear… the inescapable fact of your death here!_** "

Chie almost couldn't believe it. "Was that creepy thing really inside our Teddie…?" she wondered, surprise evident on her face. Yosuke felt guilty for not noticing how troubled Teddie was over this. "I guess he was a lot more troubled than he looked… we have to save him!"

" ** _Foolish beings! Accept your end with dignity and grace!_** "

Now, the battle finally began.

It didn't take long for the team to realise that Teddie's shadow was resistant to ice as it used Mabufula after casting Mind Charge onto itself, which was always an occasion to guard themselves from the attacks that followed after. Hell, it was much tougher than Rise's shadow… so Yu had to carefully plan out their attacks after casting the usual bunch of buff and debuff spells. Much to his shock, the shadow even knew some other spells – Marakunda that made their defences weaker, and Foolish Whisper that caused them to be mute for a time so they couldn't summon their Personas.

Essentially, it was already a tough fight.

Somehow they managed to pull through and get in some attacks to damage Teddie's shadow, and things just got harder from that point on as the shadow spoke to them again. " ** _Stop this futile struggling. Even if you resist, it will all come to naught…_** " It went into the hole it emerged from for a moment, before coming out with an arm raised up, concentrating a giant sphere of energy in its paw… Rise was a bit worried about it. "What…? I have a bad feeling about this…"

Nonetheless, they seem to have gained a chance to pull attacks on the shadow without being hurt back. Once they did, Rise called out to them to warn about something. "It's… it's going to attack! Get ready!"

Yu nodded as he heard that and looked at the others. "You heard her. Guard yourselves!"

They guarded just in time as Teddie's shadow used Nihil Hand, slamming them with the energy… but they were left unscathed as a result. Guess this was another trick up the shadow's sleeve – they must not underestimate its abilities as they continued to attack with knowledge on how to completely nullify Teddie's shadow's new attack. The huge shadow grew more infuriated at how the battle was going. " ** _What…? How can you summon such strength for such a futile endeavour…?!_** " it questioned as it stared at Yu.

"Because this isn't a 'futile endeavour'…! We'll beat you if it means saving Teddie!" Yu answered with conviction, a fiery spirit blazing in his silver-grey eyes. Teddie's shadow growled and raised an arm to strike Yu with its claws strongly using a new attack, causing the boy to cry out and collapse in pain while his world turned into a whirlpool of colours all around him. He could hear the shouts of alarm of his teammates, the chorus of slashes and buzzing sounds playing in his ears. Once his head cleared up, he was soon aware of Yosuke helping him up. "Here… you alright, partner?"

"Y…yeah…" The silver-haired boy slowly nodded, his eyes widening when he quickly noticed that the shadow was charging up for another Nihil Hand attack. "We need to put our guard up, quick…!"

At the warning, the team managed to guard themselves again in time to nullify the attack, receiving no damage despite the impact being made on their bodies. "Good call, Senpai!" Kanji complimented the leader with a grin, unintentionally flustering Yu easily. "T-thanks. Let's keep going." Yu quickly broke his gaze away from the blonde boy, trying his best to focus at the battle in spite of the spreading fire in his face.

They still had a battle to win, and so they kept on attacking the shadow. Teddie's shadow merely became more aggressive in its attacks as it was in its last spurts of its energy. " ** _Why do you still resist…?! Even should you win, naught but suffering awaits!_** " It swiftly did the same thing it did to Yu a while before on Yosuke and Kanji, making the two dizzy. Then it charged up, readying itself for one more Nihil Hand attack. "Kanji! Yosuke!" Yu looked at the boys worriedly. He could only hope that they would get up soon to guard the incoming attack as he was forced to attack the shadow alone while ordering Yukiko to heal them all using Media.

To his luck, both Kanji and Yosuke got up just in time. It took only a moment for them to realise that they had to guard themselves when their eyes landed on the orb of energy Teddie's shadow was concentrating in its paw, immediately raising their guard with Yu and Yukiko just as the shadow attacked them, but it was nullified once more. "Okay, let's get it with all our strength now!" Yu told his team, seeing that the shadow was now barely hanging onto the edge of the hole. With their combined effort, a final hit on Teddie's shadow was dealt… and the shadow roared in agony before it fell onto the edge, darkness pouring out of the holes in its suit which left it… empty.

Soon, the hole and the huge form of the shadow blew away as dust to reveal its original form, bearing the same emotionless face again.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Investigation Team gathered around Teddie who was getting up, still flat like cloth. Rise was barely holding up, exhausted after the fight.

"Was that part of you, Teddie…?" Yukiko asked him softly. "Even Teddie had a hidden side…" Chie murmured, still surprised at what they just witnessed. The bear turned around to see his shadow there, now silent. "I… I don't know who I am…" Teddie spoke slowly. "I've thought a number of times… that maybe there is no answer… but I'm here… I live here…"

"You're not alone, Teddie…" Yu told him, looking at the bear with a gentle expression as Teddie turned around to face him. "Then… I don't have to do this all on my own…?" he asked the silver-haired boy. Yosuke gave him a casual grin. "Dude, we'll help you figure it out," he said reassuringly. "I'm sure we'll find out about you, as we continue investigating this world," Yukiko added, smiling at the bear. At the support the team was giving him, Teddie began to cry happily. "Y-You guys…! I'm… I'm one lucky bear! Waaaah…"

As Teddie turned around to face his shadow, it began to glow a bright blue. "Is that…?" Chie's eyes widened. "A Persona…?" Yosuke was surprised too, as with the rest of them. Teddie approached his shadow as the courage of heart to support one's friends has been made manifest… his shadow soon turned into a Persona that had the appearance of a bulbous red boiler with stubby limbs in a blue cape which carried a tomahawk missile in its arms. It then turned into a tarot card before fading back into the depths of Teddie's heart, him having faced his other self and obtaining the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona _Kintoki-Douji_.

Then, Teddie looked at the others. "Is this my Persona?" he asked with awe. Rise smiled at him despite the tiredness she felt. "I can sense strong power from it… it's awesome, Teddie…" she said with a voice that was almost like a whisper. Her strength soon gave out and she fell down onto her knees, worrying the team. Chie was shocked to see that, going over to Rise in concern. "Whoa! Are you all right!? Oh yeah, your Persona just awakened too! I'm so sorry… you must be worn out."

"Yeah, let's hurry outside!" Yosuke told them, and the team nodded in agreement. So, they quickly helped the idol out of the place…

~*~*~*~*~*~

They stopped for a moment at the studio to check on Rise's condition. Admittedly, it was refreshing to be out of that striptease place… the pink was almost nauseating.

"Are you feeling okay, Rise-chan? We're almost outside," Yukiko asked the dark brunette girl gently. Rise nodded, her shoulders heaving with exhaustion. "I'm all right… I'm more worried about Teddie…" she answered in a near whisper, which made everyone look at Teddie who was still pretty much like a thin piece of paper, swaying in the air on his flat feet. "You okay there? We gotta go back for now…" Kanji then asked him, a bit worried for the bear. "I wanna be alone for a while," Teddie told them, surprising the team. Yosuke looked at him with shock. "H-hey…"

"My beautiful fur is all rough and coarse… and my nose hasn't been working too well either…" Teddie then suddenly jumped in the air, letting himself fall onto his back like paper. Once he landed, he began doing… push-ups. "So while I wait for my fur to grow back, I'm gonna train hard! Nobody can stop moi! Here goes! Huh!"

Everyone just stared at the bear, wondering what's gotten into him.

"Wh-What's gotten into you…?" Yosuke tried to question him, but Teddie just cut him off, still doing push-ups. "Don't, talk, to me, please! One more set! Huh! Huh! Another one! Huh! Huh!"

"Leave the dude be…" Kanji told the others, seeming to understand why the bear was doing this. "Comes a time when a man's gotta stand on his own two feet."

"Uh, I'm not sure this is really one of those times…" Chie replied, looking at Teddie with a raised eyebrow. Yukiko spoke up, seeing that they've spent enough time talking here. "Well then, Chie and I will take Rise-chan home."

Yosuke nodded in response to that. "Yeah, she'll need a lot of rest. We can talk after she regains her strength."

"Well, um… good luck, Teddie!" Chie bid the bear some words of encouragement uncertainly. "Just kick back and wait for my wonderful comeback! Peace out!" Teddie told them, continuing to do his push-ups. "Good luck, Teddie," Yu added, smiling at the bear. He had to respect the determination Teddie had to do this… even if he wasn't sure of what the result would be. Everyone else began to walk towards the stack of TV's on the stage to leave, and the silver-haired boy stared longingly at Kanji as the blonde boy left with the others.

He told himself that he would get rid of this crush one way or another… but somehow, this heat just grows ever warmer the more he saw and fought alongside Kanji. It's... perplexing.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he just put on a calm smile while he approached Teddie. "I said this before, but… I can sense something special about you, Sensei," The bear then informed him, grunting as he did his push-ups. "There must be something that only I can do… that's how I feel when I'm with Sensei. That's why I'm gonna get stronger! To find my special thing! Raaaawr!" He looked at the boy with fire in his eyes, and Yu nodded at him with a supporting grin. "You'll do great, Teddie. I'll be looking forward to your progress."

Right then, the _Star Social Link_ became stronger.

"Here goes! Huh! Huh!" Teddie now focused on his push-ups even more, so Yu decided to leave him be and left the TV world. He needed a break after seeing all that pink, fighting hordes of shadows and also fighting two shadows that were the other selves of both Rise Kujikawa and Teddie… what a day. At least Rise was saved – now they had to wait for her to recover… but will she be able to provide new insight into this case?

~*~*~*~*~*~

As evening fell onto town, Yu and Nanako were having dinner while watching TV.

The sound of the doors sliding open got Nanako excited as she stood up. "He's back!" As she ran to greet her father, what she saw made her stop in her tracks. The silver-haired boy looked at her with confusion when he heard Adachi's voice from the small hallway that led to the doors. "Whoa, there! Careful now, Dojima-san."

"Ow! Dammit…! Who put a shtep here!?" That was definitely Dojima's voice… but he spoke with such a slur.

"That'd be the carpenters, Sir. C'mon, don't take your anger out on the house. That won't solve anything."

Adachi and Dojima soon emerged from the small hallway, the latter's arm hung around the younger detective's shoulders to support him. Yu got up, surprised to see his uncle actually… _drunk_. The familiar stench of sake hit his nose hard, but he wasn't at all affected by it. The older man greeted his daughter drunkenly. "Whooo… I'm hooome. Nanako! I'm baaack!"

Nanako's smile fell as she saw the state her father was in. "W-Welcome back…"

"Oh, hi Nanako-chan. Sorry, but could you go get his futon ready?" Adachi asked the little girl. Nanako nodded wordlessly and ran off to do that. The young detective went to help his partner to the sofa, where Dojima slumped into his seat. He couldn't even sit straight… was he that wasted? Adachi could only scratch his head with a sheepish look. "Phew! I think he had a little too much to drink, haha."

"How else…" Ryotaro spoke up, but paused as he hiccupped. "…am I supposed to deal with this crap!? Friggin' fancy-talkin' kid… I've… I've been in this line'a work… since you were all learnin' yer times tables!"

"The prefectural police sent in special investigational support. 'Cause you know, we haven't really made any progress on the serial murders since they started in April… haha. So this 'special support' is supposedly a hot-shot detective from a well-known private agency…" Adachi explained to Yu who was looking confused. "But you shoulda seen the look on my face when I met him! He's only a kid your age! I hear he's a pretty sharp cookie, though."

Hm, young detective in town? Yu was too tired to think deeply about it… and now he has to deal with this shit.

…He shouldn't think like that about his uncle. The stench of alcohol, it's…

"Awww, he's a brat like any other. Ain't nothin' he can do to help," Dojima complained, hiccupping again. "He goes on and on about deductions and… deductions… heh. Ace or no ace, the prefeckshure oughtta be more careful about giving us brats to babysit… condes… condescendin' bashtards…" He was seriously drunk. The heavy flush on his face was a no-brainer to his condition.

"The kid said, as long as he can be of assistance in solving a difficult case, he won't require a reward. Well, you can imagine the shine the higher-ups took to him after that. So we can't exactly turn him down…" Adachi added. "Adachi!" The older detective yelled at his partner with a slur, but the younger man immediately tensed up in response. "Gah, sorry! Me and my big mouth…"

"You run your jaw like this is all shome kinda joke… it's your fault to begin with, for jumping the gun and hauling in that Peeping Tom!"

Adachi could only scratch his head awkwardly. "Oh… haha, um…"

Then Dojima looked at his nephew. "And you! You'cn take your share of the blame, too… always wandering around crime scenes whenever somethin' happens… you better be good or I'll haul you in if you do somethin' like back in your junior high!" The older man practically scolded the silver-haired boy, to which Yu bit his lip at being reminded once again for his mistakes. "…My apologies, uncle…" he murmured, staring at the floor as he tried not to let his emotions get the best of him.

At that moment, Nanako ran into the living room. "His futon's ready."

With a nod, Adachi went over to his partner. "Alright, Dojima-san, up and at 'em. Nanako-chan got your futon all ready for you!" he told him. Ryotaro just mumbled something incomprehensible as the younger detective helped him to his room, leaving Yu and Nanako in the living room. They both watched the two adults go upstairs… then Yu glanced at his cousin, who was frowning a bit as she looked back at him. "…Sure does stink like sake in here…" she commented. Yu nodded in agreement. "Yeah… it does."

That's because it _is_ sake. There's no denying that smell, and it made him unwittingly recall the sweet and strong taste that came with it. How it made his throat burn the moment it slid down, made him forget his troubles for a while, even if he was totally delirious by the time he drank bottles of it with his former gang… and the ache of a hangover was worth the great ecstasy of having a night's out and getting drunk with the people he thought understood how he felt about society and people. It always was. But he can't go back to the way he was before.

Swallowing his saliva, he bid Nanako goodnight and went up to his room quickly before his body could start shivering heavily.

Withdrawal was never a fun experience to feel.


	25. June Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final days of June passes by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's the waiting period again... welp, have a bunch of social links and awkward Yui while we're at it.

The day after they saved Rise was a Sunday, so Yu was able to rest properly before he decided to go out and sell some scraps they got from the shadows at the metalworks shop in the shopping district. It was pretty much a win-win situation when it came down to his purchases and his selling of these scraps to the owner of the shop, as he could get some money in return for having better and stronger equipment to purchase for the team. In the meantime, maybe he should catch up on Margaret's request.

So, after he exited the shop, he went over to the glowing blue door nearby and entered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Margaret greeted the boy as he entered, Igor sitting at his usual spot.

Yu recalled that the platinum blonde woman's request was for an _Ippon-Datara_ that knew how to cast Sukukaja… and it didn't really take him that long to figure out a way to fuse said Persona that knew the spell needed. Margaret quickly took notice of it. "An Ippon-Datara with Sukukaja… you have successfully completed the quest… well-rounded, flexible, muscular… splendid." She gave the silver-haired boy a gentle smile. "…You've done good work here. You are indeed the one with infinite potential…" She chuckled quietly. "…Now I'm even more curious about you."

In a way, the two grew closer… and the _Empress Social Link_ did too.

Margaret's expression soon turned serious again. "Well then… for my next request… bring me a _Matador_ with the Mahama skill. I know that if anyone can do this for me, it's you. I eagerly await your return."

With a wordless nod, Yu left the Velvet Room. He'll get to that one another day… but somehow, he had a feeling that he just got flirted with for a small moment…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Walking further down the shopping district, Yu eventually noticed that Kanji was standing around in front of the textile shop his mother ran. Biting his lip, he considered leaving the place to do something else, but… something's compelling him to just spend time with the blonde boy, even if it wasn't going to help him with his predicament much. Letting out a quiet sigh, he put on a small smile as he approached the guy. "Hey, Kanji," he greeted with a casual wave, yet he could feel his pulse rising already…

"Hey, Yu-senpai." Kanji smiled back at the silver-haired boy. "…You have some time?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah. I got some time to spend." Yu nodded, trying not to get so flustered. "Sweet!" The blonde boy looked happy at that. "You wanna come inside? Ma said she wanted to meet you…" he asked him. "Meet me, huh…? Sure, I guess," The smaller boy answered with some hesitance in his heart although he didn't let it show. Kanji's mother knew exactly the act he put up around everyone, but he's glad that she kept her word of not telling her son who _Yu Narukami_ really was. If he had to imagine a scenario like that… he'd probably never live it down.

"Gotta warn you - there's nothin' fun here," Kanji told him. He then went over to the store doors and slid it open. "Hey Ma, I'm home..." he greeted, but he quickly noticed that his mother wasn't inside the store. He closed the doors and began to worry. "She ain't here. What's she doin' leaving the store open...?" he muttered, shaking his head with concern. Yu was about to suggest a possible reason when the owner of the Aiya Diner ran over to them in a hurry, bringing some bad news. "Kan-chan! There you are! Your mother's in the hospital!!"

This shocked the younger boy. "The hospital...?" He fell into a stunned silence, so Yu had to ask the old man on the events leading up to Kanji's mother being in the hospital. "What happened, sir?"

"I only heard from a customer, but she's at Inaba Municipal Hospital! Hurry, go!" The owner of the Aiya Diner ushered them to go quickly. Kanji could only nod. "Y-Yessir!" He immediately ran off with Yu in the direction of the hospital, hoping that things weren't as bad as they sounded.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two boys ran into the hospital, and Kanji kept looking around so anxiously that he didn't notice his mother coming out from a room with a boy following behind her. When he and Yu heard soft footsteps approaching them, they glanced over at that direction to notice Kanji's mother. The blonde boy ran over to her. "Ma!! You all right!? You were taken to the hospital!? Someone do this to you...!?" he asked her questions so quickly, but she looked… fine. "Goodness, but you look pale," she told him.

"Never mind me!! What about you...!?" It took the younger boy a moment to see that his mother was alright. "...Huh!? You're okay?"

The kimono-clad woman nodded. "I wasn't taken to the hospital. I took someone."

"Huh…?" Now Kanji just grew more confused. A young boy then walked from behind his mother to stand next to her, bowing slightly in respect of the older boy. "The poor thing got hit by a bicycle right in front of our shop. He hit his head, so I had a doctor examine him," His mother explained to him. "He said there's no damage, thank goodness. The one who hit him was a boy from your school. When he saw the poor child fall, he ran away. Why don't you find him and give him a little scolding?" she then suggested.

"Cut the crap!!" Suddenly Kanji yelled at his mother, but the woman just gave him the same confused look he had a moment before. "You've got no idea how I felt!" he continued, still yelling. Somehow, Mrs. Tatsumi just smiled at him. "Haha, I'm fine. Your mother isn't kicking the bucket that easily. It's not like you to get so worried over such a little thing."

"Shut up, you old cow!!"

The blonde boy then ran off after shouting those words, and Yu stared at his fleeting figure in shock. "Kanji…!" He glanced at the kimono-clad woman and the young boy next to her for a moment, then he ran after his junior.

~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time he caught up with the younger boy, Kanji was sitting at one of the waiting chairs, his head hung low.

"…Sorry. Looks like it was no big deal..." Kanji murmured, apologizing for the ruckus just now. "I don't blame you…" Yu would've reacted like that if he had learned that his grandmother was in the hospital… but if it were his parents or his grandfather… he might not act the same way.

An embarrassed look still remained on the blonde boy's face. "Y-Yeah? If it's not just me, then... I guess it's okay." He slowly shook his head. "I thought I faced alla my bad parts back there... but not everything can change just like that, huh...?"

"Hm?" The silver-haired boy looked at him, puzzled at what he meant by that. Kanji soon realised that he just made his senpai run to this hospital with him for something that wasn't actually serious, so he got up to face Yu with a sheepish look. "Oh, uh... sorry for draggin' you around. If I'd been by myself, I might been even more scared... hah. Hope I can repay the favour."

"…It's okay." A gentle smile appeared on Yu's lips, and he could feel a warmth fluttering in his chest alongside the slight balmy flush in his cheeks. Nonetheless, he was able to support Kanji through this, and he could sense the trust the younger boy had for him… because of it, the _Emperor Social Link_ became stronger too.

The whispers in Yu's head distracted him long enough to not notice the rosy hue on Kanji's own cheeks as he stared at his senpai. In that time, the blonde boy saw Yu as a _girl_ that merely had short hair… again. It was almost like the time he encountered the silver-haired boy on that rainy day, their gazes frozen on each other the moment he lifted the umbrella up.  It also reminded him of the guy who asked him questions days before he got kidnapped and thrown into the TV, except… those two are just boys like him… right?

…He wondered if his eyes were fooling him.

Breaking his gaze away so his mind didn't go blank all of a sudden at those thoughts, he then noticed that his mother was approaching. "…I'm goin' home," he told Yu. "Oh, okay." The older boy blinked a few times to snap out of it, just to see Kanji running off. Hearing footsteps beside him, he looked to his side to see Mrs. Tatsumi and the young boy she brought to the hospital there. "That boy... we were both going home... he didn't have to run away like that," she murmured, watching her son run away with a wistful gaze. She then noticed Yu standing there, smiling gently at him. "Ah, Yui-chan. It's nice to see you again."

It was odd to be called by _her_ real name.

"H-hello, ma'am." Yu bowed in respect, though he felt awkward knowing that this woman who was the mother to his crush knew what his greatest secret was. Kanji's mother still smiled at him. "I've been hearing a lot about you from Kanji, Yui-chan. 'Senpai this' and 'Senpai that'... he must really like you," she told him. This got the boy blushing upon learning that. "He does…?" It made him feel all fuzzy, but it also felt like there was rain pouring onto him – Kanji really just looked up to him as a senior student…

"I'm sorry to have made you both come all the way here. He hates hospitals, you see..."

"…Why is that?"

"His father... my husband died here. Kanji happened to be somewhere else when he collapsed... so I think he was scared today."

"Oh…" That would explain why they only saw his mother… Yu could only wonder how badly that affected Kanji. He didn't deal with it too well himself once the knowledge that his grandmother was gone truly hit him two years too late. He didn't even get to… "I'm sorry for your loss."

Mrs. Tatsumi nodded slowly, yet she could still manage to smile despite that. "Haha, but it's good to see you. He's always had trouble getting along with people. He didn't have any friends like you before."

"Because of his hobbies?"

"Oh, he told you? He would always rather play house instead of catch, or go to home ec instead of P.E." Kanji's mother added, looking ahead at the entrance of the hospital. "So, he never had any male friends, but the girls didn't accept him either. After a while, he started getting into fights every day and bleaching his hair... I was worried about him... but lately, he seems to be having fun." She smiled happily at Yu. "Please take care of him."

The silver-haired boy would try to do that anyway, even if he's struggling to get rid of these forbidden feelings for a guy he shouldn't be having a crush on. "…Of course, ma'am." He nodded at her, indirectly making a promise with the kimono-clad woman. He could understand Kanji more now, but… will he be able to separate himself from this crush in the coming months, though…?

He eventually parted with Mrs. Tatsumi and headed home.

* * *

 

Monday arrived with a sour reminder as to why Yu was bordering on disliking and hating the homeroom teacher of his class.

"Don't get carried away just because some scatterbrained idol is back in town! You hear me?!" Mr. Morooka yelled at the students. "That's Rise, for all you out-of-the-loop morons. All she does are variety shows and silly commercials! What's the damn point of running your mouths about some half-wit whose only talent is appearing on shows for idiots? Now, I've got the perfect lecture for you assholes! Let's talk some Friedrich Nietzsche! It makes sense! Many of you are reacting to your own 'ressentiment' toward that idol girl by talking about her, right?"

Then he noticed the looks his students were giving him. "…Why the hell do you all look so upset!? Stand your ass up, Narukami!" he abruptly ordered Yu, to which the silver-haired boy had to do as he was told to. Goddamn this man… he was trying all he can to keep a calm expression as King Moron went ahead to ask him a question. "What does 'ressentiment' mean? Answer the question!"

Well, thankfully he does know some French. "It means hatred and jealousy, _sir_." Yu had to hold himself back from answering that with gritted teeth. Oh, how he despised calling this asshole 'sir'…

"Ah, I see you've already done the reading, smartass. Well, you got it right. 'Ressentiment' is a French word denoting hatred and jealousy! It's different from 'resent', because it's used specifically for jealous emotions toward someone better than you! I'm sure you're all very familiar with how that feels. At least I won't have to go into much depth on this one. And just so you know, there are LOTS more people out there who are much better than you dipshits!"

And there are thousands more people out there better than this bastard.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After school ended, Yu hung out with Yukiko since the black-haired girl asked during lunchtime if he could spend some time with her for the day since she wanted to go somewhere… which just so happened to be Junes' food court. They were sitting at a table for a moment. "Ummm, notebooks, three colours of pens, a loose-leaf folder, labels at the stationery department... then the furniture department. I want to look at the desks. Those and the lamps..." She seemed to be checking a list of items.

"What's all this for, Yukiko?" Yu asked her, a bit curious. She giggled, full of energy. "Studying!" she answered him with a smile. "I'm thinking of studying seriously for a job license... though I haven't decided on exactly which one I'll pursue. But I was thinking of trying for all the ones I feel I can earn. I've started working at night, you see. Remember the job you told me about? Thanks to that, I have some money..." she explained to him, but stopped when a trio of men approached them.

"Huh? Well, if it isn't the manager of the Amagi Inn. Or should I say, the manager-to-be," The suited man of the three spoke with a fake smile. "...I see you haven't gone home yet," Yukiko said, her tone serious.

"Well, I can't very well go anywhere until the next bus or train departs. This really is the boonies. Stuck here with nothing to do... man, the countryside is the dumps."

"...I beg to differ."

"Turning down sweet deals is part of country life, too, is it? Hahaha."

The trio soon left.

Yukiko then remembered that she wasn't alone just now, her expression turning guilty. "Oh... I'm sorry. Those people are from some TV station. They wanted to cover the Amagi Inn..." she told Yu. "And… you said no?" The silver-haired boy asked, wondering for a moment why. Yukiko seemed embarrassed as she nodded in response, unwilling to look at the boy sitting opposite of her. "Yes… it's a 'news of the weird' show... it isn't real journalism. You know that our inn was associated with Ms. Yamono's murder, right? They want to make a special called, 'Hot Springs Getting Too Hot for the Amagis!?'. It was an abhorrent title. Mother turned them away."

She sighed as she looked down at her hands. "But maybe she shouldn't have declined... I mean... if it gets a bad reputation... we'd lose customers, and the inn really would close its doors. Then... I'd feel better about leaving."

"…Are you serious…?" Yu was shocked to know that she thought of it that way. He would be scolded by his own grandfather badly if he ever had such thoughts.

Yukiko nodded again. "I'm serious…" she muttered darkly, gazing away at a wall. "But you're right, there's no real point in saying things like that. I'm leaving under my own power... my life is in my hands now." Her usual smile appeared on her lips as she looked at her friend again. "And of course, I want to help everyone. You too, for being such a patient listener all the time."

Her iron will could be sensed easily by Yu… and he felt like he could understand Yukiko even more now. As a result, the _Priestess Social Link_ grew stronger.

"W-Well, let's go shopping," Yukiko then said. "First is... the stationery department..."

So, Yu helped her with her shopping before parting ways for the day…

* * *

 

Tuesday started raining in the morning, but it let up by the time afternoon came.

The air was cool and fresh after the downpour, and what better way to spend it than to do some training? So, he offered that to Chie who agreed easily. Now they were eating at the Aiya Diner after they finished training for the day. Chie was eating her steak bowl pretty quickly… "Mmmm... the meat and rice just flow through my veins..." she said happily after swallowing a bite. Yu could only chuckle at the sight. "You look pretty happy."

"On the happiness scale, it's up there with watching action movies..." The brunette girl drifted off into a blissful reverie for a good moment. "I need to work hard and pump myself up, or else I can't pull us out of a jam, right? Especially Yukiko... I need to be able to protect her..." Her expression fell after she said that. "…I hope she's not straining herself. Makes you worry, huh?"

"…I worry more for you, Chie," Yu told her. No one should push themselves so much to do something… even if it's for a good cause. His words caused her to become a bit embarrassed. "Huh... m-me? B-But I'm fine! I mean, I've been training and everything!" She blushed a little as she smiled at the silver-haired boy. "I'll make myself stronger! For Yukiko, too! So keep it up, Leader! I know me and Yosuke joke around with you a lot... but we're all counting on you... heheh..."

Yu smiled back, sensing Chie's burning passion… with it, their relationship grew deeper with the _Chariot Social Link_.

"…All this talking is making me hungry." Chie looked at the owner of the diner as she ordered something. "'Scuse me! Another fried rice with meat, please!" She then glanced at Yu. "How about you?" she asked him. "Oh, no thanks." The silver-haired boy shook his head – a bowl of steak and rice was enough for him already.

The two of them talked for a while before walking home partway together.

* * *

 

Wednesday's skies began clouding up by the time lunchtime rolled around… and Yu didn't expect to see Ai be quite nervous with a reddish colour on her cheeks as she asked him if he was free during that time. He didn't have much to do that day, so he told her that he was free for the afternoon.

Now they were on the rooftop after Ai yanked him all the way up there, the blonde girl facing away from him when they got to a spot near the wire fences around the edge of the roof. "H-Hey. Umm... th-thank you for that, last time..." she told him. Yu then remembered that time back at the shoe lockers. "Oh… you're welcome."

Ai turned around to face him, her face slightly pink in embarrassment as she twirled a lock of her hair with a finger. "I was... you know, happy." She approached the silver-haired boy, still looking nervous. "I-I'm... I'm in a weird mood... every time I think about what happened, I can feel my heart beat faster, and I hardly sleep at night... wh-what should I do...?" she admitted to him in a soft voice. Yu could only blink a few times, realising what she was talking about. Is she…?

"I... I think... what should I do? I think I'm... in love. It's funny, isn't it? Like... why now? I just keep thinking back on that day... and about Daisuke-kun... d-do you know if he has a girlfriend? Do you think maybe I'm his type? O-Or do you think he hates... people like me?"

Yu let out a breath that he was holding, unaware that he was doing so in the first place. He just got worried if Ai somehow ended up liking him after that day… which wasn't the case, thankfully. With that knowledge in mind, he gave her an encouraging smile. "C'mon, have a little confidence."

"Y-you're right!" The blonde girl smiled as well as she nodded seriously, yet it didn't last on her face very long as nervousness took over her again. "I-I'm not used to things like this... you're the only one I can turn to..." she said, looking at the silver-haired boy with pleading eyes. Yu found himself seeing a side of Ai that he had never seen before… which made his relationship with her deepen with the _Moon Social Link_.

"C'mon, please... you'll help me, right? All I need you to do is... ask him what's his type. That's it."

"…No problem." Yu nodded. He'll do that when he sees Daisuke some other day.

"Thank goodness..." Ai was still blushing shyly, acting unlike the pompous girl she was before. "Um, y-you don't have to do it today or anything, but... p-please..."

"I know. I'll ask him when I have the time."

An awkward silence soon fell among the two, so they both eventually parted for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Yu arrived home, Nanako greeted him like she usually did before telling him that she went shopping today. Seeing that he hasn't cooked for lunch in a while, he decided to check out the fridge to see what he could make. "Hm… some ground meat… seasoning…"

…He could probably make some meatballs from what he could see.

"Meatballs it is." Taking the ingredients out, he brought them over to the kitchen counter to start preparing them, making the meatballs from scratch using the ground meat from the fridge. Then he began to cook them once he finished rolling the seasoned meat. When the sizzling began to reach a tantalising crescendo, he took the meatballs to cut a hole inside and look for juice as a way of checking if they have been cooked enough.

Once he saw that juice was dripping from the meatballs, he took them out of the pot and put them in the container he used before to bring lunch for school. He hasn't gone for band practice in a while – maybe he should share his food with Ayane and join practice tomorrow.

With a nod to himself, he cleared up the kitchen and went to bed after storing his lunch.

* * *

 

Yu did share his lunch with Ayane the next day, but before he went to band practice, he noticed Daisuke talking with Kou at their usual spot in the hallway. He approached them, remembering his promise to ask the brunette boy about the type of girls that he liked for Ai. "Hey, Daisuke, Kou," He greeted the two, smiling casually. "Yo, Yu." Daisuke grinned at him, and Kou smiled back with a nod.

"Say, um…" The silver-haired boy felt a little sheepish for asking this, but he's done worse than asking a guy about his type. This shouldn't be too much of a problem. "Remember Ai Ebihara…? She wanted to know your type."

In an instant, Daisuke's face looked incredulous. "Huh? My type?" He averted his eyes. "…I'm not interested in women… well, if anything, I'd like a nice girl, though."

"Okay then, thanks for answering."

With that done, he went towards Ayane to ask if she wanted to walk with him to band practice.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The members of the band gathered in the music room, everyone except Yu seeming jittery about today's performance…

"I-It's finally here... I-I-I'm s-so nervous..." Ayane murmured, stuttering in nervousness. She was still able to smile at Yu despite that. "Senpai, will you please watch the room for me? I'll give it my best shot out there. I want to come back with my head held high!" she asked him, smiling determinedly. The silver-haired boy nodded, smiling back. "No problem. Do your best, Ayane."

A moment later, the band captain entered the room. "Everyone here?"

"Yes!" Ayane answered for the team. The captain smiled. "Alright, then let's do this! But first, we have a surprise guest!" he told them, and another boy entered the room after he said that. "Oh come on, can the theatrics..."

"Takeru! How's your arm? Are you okay?" One of the students asked, recognizing him. Takeru… wasn’t that the name of the trombone player who was better than Ayane?

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's practically healed already. It was a close call, but I'll be able to play. We're gonna tune up on site, right?"

"Yeah, but... the trombone part is..."

Everyone but Takeru then stared at Ayane, who grew uncomfortable at the stares she got. "…Uh, w-well..."

"Huh? You guys look like someone died. What'd I miss?" Takeru was confused at the awkward silence that hung in the room. The band captain looked at Ayane. "What are you gonna do, Ayane?" he asked her. Ayane wasn't even sure of what to answer. "Huh? Well, I…"

Realising the situation, Takeru sighed. "Ohhh, I get it... no big deal. I'll sit out this time..."

"...I think Takeru should play. He's better, and he's more used to performing in public," A senior player spoke up, suggesting for Takeru to play today. They looked at the other members. "You guys are with me, right? We can't afford to blow this."

…No one spoke up.

At that moment, Yu decided to stick up for Ayane. "Hey, Ayane practiced hard to play the trombone well so she could fulfil her role after Takeru got into the accident. She continued to practice even after band practice was over! You all should know how well she's gotten since then... she shouldn't be cast aside just because he's back now."

The senior member smiled wryly. "Awww, what a stirring speech. Wasn't that nice of him, Ayane?"

"U-um…" Ayane stuttered, unsure of what to say. "...Well, I don't wanna force it either way. Ayane, I'll leave it up to you," The band captain eventually told her. She looked down, biting her lip. "I-I..." She was quiet for a few moments, then she nodded to herself before lifting her head and smiling at Takeru. "Go ahead and do it, Takeru-senpai. It was your part in the first place, and I'm not as good as you, so... please, take it."

Takeru nodded too. "Hmm… well, if you say so…"

"Alright, then let's get going. Head over to the bus out front once you're ready," The captain said to everyone else. "G-Good luck, everyone!" Ayane cheered for the band members, but Yu could see the sorrow that was seeping into her voice.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The band members soon packed up and left, leaving Yu and Ayane alone in the room…

Ayane stared off at a wall, not looking at the silver-haired boy as she laughed pitifully. "Haha... I must look so stupid." Her eyes slowly began to glisten. "I... I must be stupid..." Then, tears bubbled up and slipped down her cheeks like raindrops as she began to cry, sobbing heavily. Even as she tried to wipe them away, more tears continued to slide down her face. "Nothing ever... goes how I... imagine it... it's no one's fault, but... time after... time..." She was weeping sorrowfully…

"Ayane…" Yu gazed at her sadly. He stepped towards her and lightly pulled her close to hold her, wrapping his arms around her. "Senpai…" The small girl's breath hitched as she was hugged by the only person who had supported her since the beginning of the school year… and just like that, her walls crumbled down and she cried even harder.

It was a while until Ayane gently got herself out of the boy's embrace, taking a few steps back while she turned away from him. "I-I'm sorry... I thought I could finally see my dream come true... to think, my music might have actually reached out to one of those people... I thought this was it..." Her hands gripped into fists. "That dream used to feel so far away, but for a minute there, it was close enough to touch... I know it sounds like a childish fantasy, but it's much deeper than that. It's more like... a purpose. So... so..." Then, she turned around to face Yu with anger in her eyes. "I can't help feeling bitter!"

She breathed deeply after her outburst, staring at Yu who did the same thing. "Ah…" She quickly averted her gaze, then laughed sadly. "Hahaha... it's so funny... I've never thought about it like this before. Whenever I've felt bitter, I've known it was for the good of the band, so... I was satisfied with that... but that song ran through my head day and night, constantly, no matter whether I was awake or sleep... if I had even a few minutes, I'd practice. My arm started aching all the time... this is the first time I've really invested myself in it... before, I always figured it was impossible..." She sighed and looked up at the boy. "That's why I'm bitter. But letting myself be bitter... makes me feel good. It's hard to explain..."

Then, Ayane smiled softly. "Senpai... thank you for standing up for me back there. That made me really happy." Her smiled quickly fell, however. "But… I couldn't imagine pushing Takeru-senpai aside so that I could… I'm sorry."

"It's okay… one day, you'll get your chance." Yu comforted her with a smile of his own. The small girl nodded, smiling again at his words as her cheeks flushed a bright red. "I feel like... I've changed a little. And it's all because of you..."

Yu could feel Ayane's strong fondness for him… this event had made their relationship grow deeper with the _Sun Social Link_.

"Oh... I just noticed that we're the only ones left. Haha... maybe it's not such a bad thing that I didn't go after all." Ayane finally realised that they were alone in the room. Nonetheless, Yu spent his remaining time at school with her, aware that she was trying to keep smiling despite what happened.

Once evening was about to fall over Inaba, he bid goodbye to her and went home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

For the night, Yu had told his uncle that he was going to his part-time job as a janitor at the hospital. Dojima allowed him to do that, so he was now wiping windows at the hospital… but damn if the atmosphere wasn't creepy enough. A wimp wouldn't even last one minute in this place at this time of night.

Thinking that he was hearing things down the dark hallways didn't help either. But the TV world was dozens of times worse than this, so he paid no mind to the noises and continued his job. Once his shift was over, he was about to leave when he noticed a doctor and a nurse emerging from a room. The former noticed him and told him to leave if his shift was over, yet he didn't. He still tried to listen in on the conversation, even if all he got were bits and pieces.

It didn't really work, and all he got was something like 'after patrolling' and 'empty room'. Yu tensed up as he saw that the nurse was approaching him, though. "Oh, were you listening?" she asked, giggling. She seemed to eye his body with a sly smile for a moment. "Oho… you're cute. You're the student who started working here today, right? I'll show you something fun the next time you're here. I'll see you again." She then left, leaving the silver-haired boy feeling weirded out.

Did he just get checked out by a _nurse_?

…With a shudder, he decided to leave the hospital quickly.

This wasn't how he had planned to spend the final day of June, but that's how things went. Besides, seems like Rise would be taking a longer time to rest… the team will just have to wait.


	26. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was still no sign of Rise, and life still continues normally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's also full of social links, but I tried to just put a lot of events in just so the next chapter isn't social links again, which shouldn't be although a day or two is missing from this one. Next chapter would have Rise in it, for sure! Oh, and it's pretty cheesy at the final parts of this little chapter, sooo... anyone want a wedges to go with that cheese?

The first day of July started off not with the warm, gentle rays of the sun, but rather the cold and bitter downpour of rain. Like usual, no one was in the mood to hang out, so Yu went to the shrine in the shopping district to report to the fox about his success in fulfilling the wish on the ema. He ended up spending time with it for the whole afternoon. Then when evening fell, he wondered for a good moment on what to do. Then he recalled the nurse from the hospital yesterday – does he dare to go back there to see what she meant by something fun?

…Well, this shouldn't be making him so nervous. Better that he go and find out what she would do rather than ponder about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

His work in the hospital brought him to wiping the equipment and beds in an empty hospital room… it was recently vacated, which was why he was ordered to clean it up. However, he had the nagging feeling that someone was watching him, but he tried to ignore it the best he could to finish his task in the room. Eventually he did, and was about to leave the room when the same nurse from yesterday entered the room. "Oh, is there someone else here?" She saw him standing there. "Oh, it's you, the student worker. I see you're doing your job." She then approached him, a kind smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Sayoko Uehara. Nice to meet you."

Yu nodded, still feeling like he shouldn't let his guard down yet… but Sayoko seems… kind.

"When you're done here, come on by the nurse's station. I'll pour you some hot coffee," Sayoko said to him. She fell silent for a moment before she chuckled. "...Just kidding."

The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow. What is she…?

Sayoko then got uncomfortably close to Yu, causing him to grow tense at the stare the nurse was giving him. "I hear you're a high schooler..." she whispered as she took a good look at the boy's body. "Hmhm, your skin is so smooth... hey... you know what I'm getting at, don't you?"

She can't be serious!

Yu looked around worriedly, trying to see if there was someone he could call over… to his shoddy luck, there was no one but them in the room. Sayoko smiled deviously. "Don't worry, no one'll see..." she whispered again, teasingly this time. The silver-haired boy shook his head. "I'm not interested," he told her, his silver-grey eyes staring into the nurse's dark brown ones. He was about the same height as her, but it still didn't deter the nurse from chuckling at his response. "…Oho... how adorable!"

She's serious.

"...I like you." Sayoko giggled at his reaction, saying that. "When's the next time you're coming? I'll adjust my shift. Looks like even a town like this has something fun to do..." Her mischievous affection could be felt by the silver-haired boy… and what he didn't expect to happen was the feeling of something shattering, followed by whispers in his mind began speaking of a bond forming between him and Sayoko, this time of the _Devil Social Link_ of the _Devil Arcana_ … how fitting. He's playing with the devil. Kind of.

By the time the whispers faded out, Sayoko turned to leave with a sly smile still on her lips. "I'll see you again." Then she left, leaving Yu blinking a few times, stupefied. He really did just get hit on by a nurse. What the hell was he supposed to do about _that_?

However, seeing that a Social Link formed between himself and her… maybe there was something behind that flirty act of hers, or he's just too hopeful and she's actually eyeing him. Sighing, he continued his work for the night until he finished before returning home.

* * *

 

After school ended the next day, Yu went to go check the shrine and see if the fox had any more requests it needed fulfilled.

Arriving there, he saw the fox jump off the roof and land right behind him with an ema in its mouth. "What you got for me today, fox?" he asked with a chuckle, kneeling down to take the ema and examine it. The request was written in large, uneven letters, probably by a child… asking that he be given friends. The child's name was Yoshitaka, or at least, what was written on it could be his name. "Hm… friends, huh?" He'll have to look around for this kid. "I'll do it," he told the fox, who yipped at him happily on its hind legs.

Smiling at it, the silver-haired boy soon left the shrine to go back to school.

~*~*~*~*~*~

On his way through the flood plains, Yu noticed a lonely boy staring at the signboard. He approached him, to which the boy got somewhat defensive. "Wh-what? I don't have any money," he told Yu. The teenager shook his head – this kid must've been bullied a lot… or was just paranoid. "I don't want your money, kid." Admittedly, it felt ironic to say that. His former gang members usually did the dirty work and used it to buy liquor… sake being the most common drink. It didn't take long for him to get addicted to drinking it, but it felt like eternity to break himself out of that addiction.

"You're not here for anything else, then, right? I don't have any friends. So nobody ever wants to talk to me…" The boy seemed quite sad… he's probably the one who wrote the ema request since he just said that he didn't have any friends. "Everyone talks about things I don't know about. Right now, they're all collecting stickers… I have a sticker, too, but they all said, 'Everyone has that one…'. If I had a rare sticker, I bet they'd become my friends…"

A rare sticker so he can make friends… checking his pockets, the only sticker Yu had was one of the prize redemption stickers from Tanaka's. The boy noticed it in his hand. "Huh…? Mister, is that a sticker?" he asked him. The silver-haired teenager opened his palm to reveal the sticker to the child, who took a closer look at it. "'Granter of your desires'? If this sticker can do that, then I'm sure to make friends! Mister, can you give me this sticker?" he asked pleadingly. Yu nodded, giving the boy the sticker. "Sure, here you go."

"Yay! Thank you! I'm sure to have lots of friends now!" The boy then ran off cheerfully. Yu wondered if the kid would make lots of friends with that sticker… he'll have to check on him another day. He then continued his walk to school, planning to hang out with Chie if she was free for the evening.

~*~*~*~*~*~

So, Yu did do some training with Chie who wasn't busy that afternoon. After they finished, the brunette girl led him to Souzai Daigaku – this was the place with the steak skewers.

"Have you had the steak skewers? The meat is tender and delicious, and they hardly cost anything!" Chie told him. "...It might not even be cow meat."

…That's a worrying thought, though.

"Just kidding... whoa, thinking about it, that's kinda gross, haha..."

As if on cue, a police officer approached the food stall which shocked Chie. "The police are here... th-then is this place really serving fake meat...?"

The policeman then looked at them. "Excuse me."

Both Yu and Chie straightened up as they faced the man. "Y-Yes? I haven't eaten any of the meat today, I swear!" The brunette girl said in a tense manner. That wasn't why the policeman was here, though. "Lately, there's been several incidents with a group of teenagers bullying people around here," he told the two, looking serious. He seemed to glance at the silver-haired boy a few times as well. "...Bullying?" Chie cocked her head to the side, a bit confused.

"Extortion, if you will. Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

"N-No, no one in particular..."

Yu was starting to feel uncomfortable at where the topic was now going. A group of teenagers bullying people… and the glances the police officer was giving him were unnerving. The policeman then stared at him. "How about you? Seen anyone like that?" he questioned the boy. Shaking his head, the silver-haired boy attempted to keep calm. "No, I haven't, sir."

"Hmmm, I see... well, you two be careful then." The man looked at Yu again. "Don't act up in town like those teenagers, alright?" he advised the pair, but the fact that he was still watching the teenage boy while he said that told multitudes to Yu that this police officer knew his past as well, and was warning him not to go back to his old ways. At this point, he might as well assume that the whole police force of Inaba knew that a former infamous delinquent from the city was in the damn town, and no matter how hard he tried to get rid of that life, it'll come to haunt him in many ways possible. It _sucked_.

Once the policeman left, Chie turned to talk to him. "I'm glad it wasn't the meat..." she admitted quietly. Her expression then became furious, however. "...But still, bullying!? What cowards, ganging up on the weak like that!" she commented angrily. Yu could only nod, feeling much like a hypocrite now. "Exactly." If she knew what he used to do as a delinquent, their friendship might as well shatter into pieces instantly.

…That's a terrifying thought and he didn't want to spend another second thinking about it.

"It's so cruel! And stupid!" Chie was very much outraged at the incident… "We'll grab 'em and make them apologize! Right, Leader?" she said, asking Yu as well. The silver-haired boy nodded once more, putting on a determined smile for her. "Of course."

A happy look appeared on Chie's face for a moment. "I knew you'd say that!" Her expression soon turned serious. "Mowing down villains and saving the weak, a lone female fighter stands... to protect the town's peace, she throws herself into the battlefield, unbeknownst to all...!" She paused, thinking about what she just said… and she ended up smiling at the thought. "Ooh, yeah! That sounds cool!" With a fiery spirit, she looked at Yu with a grin. "Yu-kun, leave it to me!"

Upon getting a smile in response from the silver-haired boy, she blushed a little and lowered her gaze, smiling too. "Though I'd feel better about it if you helped... and it'd make me... kinda happy..." She seemed somewhat embarrassed… but nonetheless, their relationship has grown deeper through this event... and so did the _Chariot Social Link_. Chie was back to her normal self after a few moments in silence. "Alright, first, let's eat!" She then wondered about something. "'Don't think. Feel...' right? Actually in this case, would it be, 'Don't think. Eat...'?" she commented. Yu just chuckled, shrugging. "Probably."

They both eventually walked back home together, eating steak skewers on the way there.

* * *

 

On Sunday, Yu met up with Ayane who had called him in the morning to ask if he wanted to go somewhere with her. They went to Okina City at the small girl's request…

"Wow, a lot of new shops have opened… I'm almost never here, so I don't keep up with this place very well," Ayane commented, looking amazed at the sights in the city. She then looked at Yu with a smile. "Um… do you have any suggestions?" she asked him. "How about we just walk around, see some stuff?" The silver-haired boy suggested, smiling as well. Ayane nodded, liking that idea. "Okay, let's see all the stores!" She gazed at the rows and rows of stores ahead of them. "Why don’t we start from…"

She then noticed someone from the corner of her eye – it was Daisuke from the soccer club Yu joined. "Huh? Isn't that Daisuke-senpai?" she asked, looking at the brunette boy. Daisuke smiled upon seeing the silver-haired boy next to Ayane. "Hey, what's up, Yu? What a coincidence." He approached the two as Yu smiled back. "Daisuke, good to see you," he greeted his friend from the soccer club. Daisuke glanced at Ayane, wondering who she was. "…Is this your girlfriend?"

Ayane was quite shocked to hear that. "W-well, ah, it-it's not…!!" She stuttered, fumbling with her words as she tried to say she wasn't Yu's girlfriend. Daisuke just nodded. "Oh, I get it. It's still a work in progress, right?!" He laughed jokingly.

"P-Please don't tease, Senpai!"

"Senpai…?" It then hit Daisuke that Ayane actually knew him. "Oh, are you from Yasogami High too?" He just ended up laughing more as the small girl grew more embarrassed. "…We went to the same middle school too, Senpai!" she told him, huffing at the attitude Daisuke had towards her.

The day was pretty exciting as the trio spent some time together in the city before going back to Inaba.

* * *

 

Monday came along with no sign of Rise still.

Yu went to the flood plains to see if the lonely boy from the other day was around, and he did find the kid standing by the signboard again.

The boy noticed him coming towards him. "Oh, you're the one who gave me the Prize Sticker… I showed it to them, but they said a grown-up sticker didn't count…" he told him dejectedly. "Here, you can have it back…" He gave the silver-haired teenager the sticker back. "Where am I supposed to find a rare kid's sticker? I don't know any…"

Guess Yu will have to find a rare sticker that's popular among kids… maybe he should actually ask some kids for ideas… like Nanako. Yeah, he should probably ask her for ideas. Seeing that he couldn't do much to help now, he quietly left the boy to return back to school. He'll probably hang out with Chie again to do some training.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After they finished their training, they both decided to stop by the Aiya Diner in the shopping district.

"Steak bowl or a combo plate... the ultimate decision..." Chie murmured, wondering on which dish she should eat. However, the pair were alerted to a familiar voice shouting out from nearby. "S-Stop it...!" That sounded like… that guy who was Chie's friend. They could hear two other voices too.

"Shut up, dumbass."

"Yeah, that's right. We all know it's time to cough up." There was a moment of silence before the same voice spoke up again. "What? That's it? Quit bullshitting us."

Chie glanced worriedly at Yu. "Th-That voice... it can't be...! Let's go, Yu-kun!"

The silver-haired boy nodded, and they both quickly ran off in the direction of the voices.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sight they ran into was Takeshi being cornered into a wall by a gang of three punks.

"Takeshi…?!" Chie was startled to see that her suspicions were right. The punks were just excited to see that they had more people to take money from as she and Yu ran towards them, stopping just short a few feet. "Ch-Chie!" Takeshi ran past the punks, hiding behind the two. "Hey!" One of the punks yelled at him. "Whaddaya runni' for? Gonna hide behind a girl, huh?" The punk leader taunted the guy. Chie ignored their words and looked at Takeshi. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

"I-I'm fine... y-you've always been good at stuff like this! Th-They took all my money. You're gonna get them for me, right!?"

"Well, it does tick me off!!" The brunette girl then glared at the punks. "Hey, cowards! Ganging up on one guy... you oughtta be ashamed!"

Takeshi took the chance to run away. "T-Take care of them for me!"

"Uh, wow, that was fast!" Chie could only stare at the fleeing figure of her friend down the road in surprise. "...Sheesh!" She then looked at the punks and got into a ready stance. "C'mon, what's the matter? Let's throw down!" she taunted them. The punk leader seemed to get aggravated by it. "Huh? What's with this bitch? Y'think you're all that? I ain't afraid to hit a girl... we'll kick your ass!"

This doesn't look good.

Even Yu would have difficulty beating three teenage boys despite having the brawling skills from back when he was a troublemaker to do just that… so he stepped forward and held an arm up in front of Chie to hold her back. "Wha-- stop that!" She seemed angry at his act.

"What a pain in the ass..." The punk leader muttered, annoyed at the situation. "Yo, that guy who ran away might call the cops," One of the other punks informed him. At that knowledge, the leader decided that they were better off letting these two go than to get caught by the police. "Screw this. Let's go." They quickly ran off, leaving Yu and Chie behind.

"Hey, hold on! Wait!!" Chie tried to run after them, but they were too quick. She fell silent for a few seconds. "…What the heck... running away when you step in." Frustration soon set in, and she turned around to yell at the silver-haired boy. "...Why'd you butt in? What, you thought you couldn't leave it up to me!? I could've handled them myself!" But in truth, she knew that she wouldn't have lasted long. "…Sorry..." she murmured, looking down apologetically. "I charged in by myself... caused you trouble..."

"It's no trouble, Chie." Yu could somewhat understand why she wanted to do that…

"…Thanks." Chie's stand then relaxed, though she seemed guilty about something. "You're right, huh? I gotta remember I'm not alone... it's always like that. Everyone's doing their best... then I start to worry that it's all up to me... and I've gotta work harder... I worry that someday, I'll end up causing even more trouble, like I did today... haha... I'm so stupid." She regretted her grandstanding… but because of it, Yu could feel the quiet passion she had towards all this.

…The _Chariot Social Link_ grew stronger.

A soft rosy hue appeared on the brunette girl's cheeks as she smiled at the boy in front of her. "Yu-kun... thank you. Umm..." She began to feel a bit embarrassed… "…N-Never mind!" Shaking her head, her blush toned down a little. "I need to work harder, huh? Why am I moping...? I'll think about it some… though I'm not too smart!"

Yu just smiled with a shake of his head. "You'll get it…" Now he was feeling a little uneasy… it looked like as if Chie was starting to… well… _like_ him. He just hoped that he was wrong the next time they hung out.

Eventually, they both just walked partway home together before parting.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Returning home, Yu then remembered about his plan to ask Nanako if she knew anything about rare stickers. He went ahead to go and ask. "Hey Nanako, do you have any popular children's stickers?"

"A children's sticker? Umm… I'll go look." Nanako then got up to search for one. Once she did, she went back to her cousin. "This is pretty popular. Here you go." She gave the silver-haired boy the sticker she got, which was a Tankiriman sticker... whatever that character is supposed to be. Yu smiled at her either way. "Thank you…" he thanked her, which made the little girl giggle with a happy blush on her cheeks. He should give this to that kid in the flood plains when he has the time.

For a moment, Nanako's smile fell as she acted nervous. "Uhh… umm…" She was hiding something… Yu decided to spend some time with her this time to see what she had to say, to her relief. Once he sat down at the table, she started speaking in an anxious tone. "Ummm... don't tell Dad, but…"

"I won't. I swear to that." Yu nodded, smiling reassuringly at his cousin. Nanako nodded too. "O-okay… they handed this out at school. They said to give it to our parents..." she told him as she got a paper from underneath her cushion, placing in on the table so the silver-haired boy could read it. Yu took a closer look, then noticed that it was a survey for parents regarding the scheduling of parent-teacher interviews… man, he hated those. His parents were almost never around… like his uncle.

"They said to have our parents write down when they can visit the school..." Nanako murmured, her expression crestfallen. "…But Dad's always working, so... he can't come, huh?"

"Don't worry, I'll ask him with you." Yu could at least do that for her. The little brunette girl smiled in relief at his words. "Really? Thanks, big bro!" She looked at the paper again. "...I'll give this to Dad. I'll ask him to come..." A happy smile now appeared on her youthful face. "I'm glad I asked you!"

Her cheerfulness was infectious - Yu couldn’t help but smile back as he felt his cousin's trust for him. The _Justice Social Link_ became stronger with their relationship…

"He'll come, right? ...Since he's my 'real' Dad," Nanako asked her big bro. She then wondered if the teenager had gone through the same thing as her. "Big bro, did you have 'Parent-Teacher Interviews' too? Were you nervous?"

Yu nodded in response to her question. "Mhm… always had them once a year or so." As for being nervous, his high grades didn’t bring much reason for him to feel as such… much less when he was a delinquent as he began rebelling against his parents and rules in that time. But that's a story that he will never tell, so he slowly changed the topic by talking about other things with his younger cousin. Eventually it got late, so he put Nanako to bed before going to his own room.

* * *

 

The flood plains were Yu's first stop after school ended. He found the lonely boy who wrote the request on the ema standing near the signboard like the day before and approached him again. He could hear the boy muttering to himself. "Where am I supposed to find a rare kid's sticker? I can't come up with anything…"

"Hey, would this do?" The silver-haired teenager then gave the kid the Tankiriman sticker he got from Nanako.

"…A Tankiriman Sticker? Wow, thank you! This is cool-looking, so I'm sure they'll let me play after I show them this!" The boy smiled before running off cheerfully. Yu wondered if that sticker will help him make lots of friends this time… he'll have to check in tomorrow if it wasn't raining.

With a small smile to himself, he walked back to school with a new plan to join soccer practice.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It's been a while since Yu attended soccer practice, but feeling the thrill of kicking the ball and stuff was a nice outlet to use his strength in. He watched as Daisuke coached some of the players with passion.

"C'mon guys, you haven't even finished your knee lifts yet!" Daisuke told a group of the soccer players. They were gasping pretty hard. "I... can't... run anymore..."

"That's when you've gotta push yourself! C'mon, one more lap! I'll run with you!"

"Yes, Sir..."

So, Daisuke ran ahead, letting the group follow him from behind as they ran a lap around the field. Yu smiled at the sight, happy to see that his friend was back to his old self again. He went to go and sit at the benches for a small break, watching as the brunette boy finished one more lap before finishing his coaching. Eventually Daisuke noticed him and grinned, going over to sit next to the silver-haired boy. "Whew, it feels like forever since I've been this exhausted! But damn, it feels good!" He laughed cheerfully. "That's good," Yu told him, still smiling at the brunette.

"I'm not gonna screw around anymore. From now on, I'm all business!" Suddenly, Daisuke appeared to be pensive. "…I kept pretending that I was trying my hardest... But the truth is, I was hardly trying. If I managed to do well playing at half my potential, nobody really cared that I wasn't taking it seriously. And if I wasn't doing so hot, I had a copout. All I had to do was say I wasn't trying." He continued to speak his mind, telling Yu of how he really felt. "I was scared of the possibility that things could go wrong, even when I gave it my all. Because if that happened... I would have felt like I had no business even being here... haha... pretty lame, huh?"

Daisuke then shrugged to himself. "Well…" He got up from where he sat and went to stand in front of the silver-haired boy, taking something out. "This is for you." He gave Yu a spike brush. "It's a brush you can use to clean your cleats. I realized I haven't used it in a long time... I just soaked my cleats and let 'em hang dry, like I didn't care... but I used to like cleaning my cleats and soccer balls..." He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know why I'm doing this... it just kinda popped into my head, y'know? It's not super fancy or anything, but it's easy to use. You and I are gonna be running a lot from now on, so..."

Grinning at the brunette, Yu nodded in understanding. "Of course."

"...Come on, let's grab some grub before we go home!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The trio of friends went to eat at their usual spot in the Aiya Diner after practice was over.

"I've been hearing people talk about ya, Daisuke," Kou told his friend. "'He's a new man!', 'A demon awoke inside of him!'. Words to that effect."

Daisuke nodded in response. "Yeah, well, I quit pretending. I was getting pretty bored of not taking things seriously. You give it 110% and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Not knowing is what makes it fun."

"Ain't that the truth? Lay the charm on thick, get rejected, and cry about it later. That's a woman for you."

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed as he heard that. Kou continued on anyway. "Still, too bad about your ex, though." Now this got him a confused look from Daisuke. "You were kinda hoping she still liked you, right?"

"What? H-Hey, that's not—" Daisuke grew flustered as he tried to deny it. Kou laughed a bit. "Whoo boy, look at his face. I think I've seen tomatoes less red than that." His comment got Yu to laugh as well, which made the brunette boy embarrassed. "Wh-What about you guys, huh!? All that 'What am I to you' shit, you're the ones who should be embarrassed!" he retorted. Kou gave his best friend a teasing smile. "What, you want us to say it again? Maybe in unison this time?"

"Don't give me that touchy-feely crap!"

…Well, it was a fun time with these two.

"But yeah, uhh... thanks." Daisuke awkwardly thanked the two boys. Kou grinned cheekily at him. "Don't worry, we'll always be here to embarrass you."

"...Gee, thanks." This time, the brunette said it with a big smile.

After all that, Yu could feel a deep bond has formed between him, Kou, and Daisuke… before he knew it, there were whispers in his head that spoke of a genuine bond being established. He now had the ability to fuse a new Persona, _Zaou-Gongen_ , the ultimate form of the _Strength Arcana_ …

Daisuke smiled in relief. "I feel like I can finally move forward again..." he admitted to his friends. Kou smiled as well. "That's good, man."

"So, let's do another group date. Kou, you should call those chicks up again."

That suggestion took the black-haired boy off guard. "Huh!? Now you're gonna pull a 180 on me!? Dude, you really ticked those girls off last time!"

"Oh. I guess you'll have to do some grovelling then."

"ME!?"

Daisuke and Yu just laughed as Kou got all annoyed. The silver-haired boy also took a moment to enjoy the good times with the two, with whom he had just formed a tight bond… although he may regret forming these bonds as well as many other ones in the first place, he won't ever regret the joy it brought him.

The looming reminder that he was only here for a year did not escape his mind, after all.

* * *

 

During lunchtime the next day, Yu had noticed Ai approaching him nervously with her face all flushed… apparently, she was wondering if he had already asked the guy she fell in love with, only to tell him that they should talk later. So once school ended, he told her to give him a short moment as he had something to do outside school – he needed to check on the kid he gave the sticker to.

She reluctantly agreed to wait during that time, thus he was now rushing down the path from school to the flood plains. He found the kid standing by the signboard like yesterday and the many days before. "Hey, kid."

"Oh, mister." The boy seemed a little cheerful today. "Y'know the sticker you gave me? Everyone already knew about it… but I did make friends! I talked to them every time I got a new sticker, and they just kinda became my friends! It's thanks to you! Oh, and also the fox. I wrote my wish at the shrine. They said a fox grants wishes there. I'll go say thanks to the fox later!" he told him. The silver-haired teenager smiled as he heard that. "That's great. Don't forget to do that, then." He managed to accomplish the request written on the ema… he'll report it to the fox one day.

For now, he had a certain blonde woman to handle first.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ai yanked him by the arm all the way up to the roof… Yu was sitting on the metal bars that supported the giant solar panels on the roof while Ai began to question him. "S-So, did you ask him... what kind of girl he likes?"

"…He said he likes 'nice girls'," The silver-haired boy answered her. This got the blonde girl almost in a panic. "…'Nice'? He didn't say anything about being cute? Not even like, 'a beautiful woman' or anything like that? B-But, every guy wants to be with a pretty girl, right? It's the good-looking girls who find love, isn't it!?" She grew frustrated and huffed. "Forget this, I'm tired of beating around the bush. Just go ask him if he's got a crush on anyone." When Yu didn't move immediately, she yelled at him. "What are you waiting for!? Go!"

"A-alright." Yu really didn't have a choice… he'll have to check downstairs then – Daisuke should be around.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Walking down the stairs, Yu just so happened to bump into Daisuke.

"Yo, Yu. What's up?" The brunette boy greeted him with a casual smile. "Hey, Daisuke. I'm just wondering if you got a crush on anyone," Yu asked him bluntly, taking his friend off guard. "Huh!? What's gotten into you?" Daisuke then averted his gaze. "Nah... there isn't anyone."

…This is going to be a leap. "Then, do you have any interest in Ai?"

"Ai...? Like our manager, Ai? Not interested." Daisuke answered without a second thought… he then chuckled. "We done playing 20 questions? Haha. See you later." He left the silver-haired boy standing there after saying goodbye. Yu thought of how he was going to tell Ai that Daisuke had no interest in her when his senses suddenly blared at the feeling of _someone_ watching him. Looking towards the stairs, he saw a flash of blonde hair and the sound of quick footsteps running up them – shit, Ai was eavesdropping the whole conversation.

Worry taking over his mind, Yu hurriedly ran up the stairs to catch her before she did anything reckless.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Now Yu found himself facing a sight that brought chills down his spine – Ai was standing on the other side of the wire fence, near the ledge of the roof… it reminded him of his own act in his lowest points in life. He had to stop her, but he knew that she was overwhelmed by the truth that Daisuke didn't like her at all… he had to try and understand her in that way. "Ai, don't do this…!" he called her, worried that she might just let her legs slip over the ledge…

"Don't come any closer! He doesn't like me! He's not interested in the slightest! I...! I..." Ai yelled at him, having lost her composure. She needed to be calmed down before it got any worse. "Hey, try to calm down…" Yu told her, trying his best to be keep a composed state. The blonde girl kept on shouting. "Guys like pretty girls, don't they!? I'm pretty now! And I had to work hard to become this way! But if I can't be loved, then... then what's the point!?"

"I'll hear you out… just come over here."

Quietly, Ai began to sob… but nonetheless, she stepped down from the ledge and got back on the other side of the wire fence.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two of them went a safe distance away from the ledge of the roof so they could talk.

Ai leaned against the wall, staring down at her feet sadly while Yu sat on the giant pipes, patiently waiting for her to gather up the courage to say what was on her mind. She eventually spoke up in a quiet voice. "I... I used to be fat and clumsy... my family was poor, and everyone at school bullied me all the time. They used to surround me and say I was gross, or they called me names like 'Piggy-hara'... the boy I had a crush on even told me not to look at him, because I'd 'give him my germs'. Those awful memories still haunt me in my nightmares..."

She looked at Yu, a sorrowful expression on her face. "About the time I entered middle school, my family came into their money. Everyone got so jealous of us that we ran away... and moved here. I knew this was my chance to start over... it was time to show them all..." Then a fire burned in her eyes. "I dieted, got into shape, and read every fashion or women's magazine I could get my hands on. I studied them like they were textbooks and learned all the secrets - everything from attracting guys to smiling better. But..." A dejected chuckle left her lips as she wiped her eyes of tears. "Ahaha… looks like... it was all for nothing. I couldn't be loved unless I became pretty, and now that I am, I still can't have it. I guess I'm doomed. I'll never be loved, will I? It's not like I have any other redeeming qualities..."

"Hey… you're still young. You've got a whole other life ahead of you, with many other chances to fall in love and be loved in return…" Yu told her softly, now knowing why she acted so pompous. No one should be treated that way just because of their body size. He's gone through that kind of bullying before – and it hurts.

"You're... so nice to me. I should've fallen in love with you..." The blonde girl murmured, gazing at him remorsefully. "…Haha, just kidding..." she added when a silence fell between them for a moment. Yu kept silent, not knowing how to respond to that… which gave Ai an idea. "Hey... why don't you and I just go out?" she suggested, a smile appearing on her lips. Nervousness gripped the silver-haired boy's heart at that moment. Is she seriously suggesting that? "…Are you sure about that?"

The smile on Ai's face fell. "...You're a weird guy. You're right, I'm sorry... I'm still... a little confused," she admitted with a sad smile. The relationship between them has somewhat grown deeper, causing the _Moon Social Link_ to become stronger too. Another moment of silence surrounded them both before Ai spoke up quietly. "I'm going home now..." She paused for a second, staring at Yu. "…Thank you." She then went towards the rooftop door, opening it to walk down the stairs with heavy footsteps. Yu did the same thing a moment later, deciding to go home after what happened. Yet his heart felt heavy…

~*~*~*~*~*~

To get his mind off the events during the evening, Yu decided to make lunch for tomorrow after Nanako had told him that she went shopping today. He saw a bunch of sweet potatoes in the fridge… which are perfect to make daigaku-imo. He first prepared the sweet sauce, then deep fried the sweet potatoes before stirring the sweet sauce into the fried sweet potato. He tried one to see the taste and smiled when he got a sweet taste alongside a crispy texture from the daigaku-imo.

As he got a container and began to put the food inside it, he wondered on who to share it with. He shared his food with Ayane and Yosuke before… actually, he shared his food with only those two. Everyone else he knew hasn't had a taste yet. Glancing at the TV, he noticed that it was playing a drama show where the lead protagonist, who was a schoolgirl, had just asked a fellow male student to eat her lunch with him, which Yu assumed was the love interest. At that little scene, a thought crossed his mind – what if he shared his food with Kanji?

…Did he really just think _that_?

Yu felt his face burn up like a growing fire, and he quickly shook his head to dispel the idea. But it still managed to remain in his mind, stuck like glue to his thoughts. He bit his lower lip as he stared at the container where he had just put tomorrow's lunch into for a long, quiet moment. His own actions were so not helping himself… yet it could be worth the happy look on Kanji's face once he got a taste of the daigaku-imo. Sighing, he gave in to his heart's desire and went to store his lunch.

A small smile somehow made its way onto his lips as he then went upstairs to his room.

* * *

 

As he had promised himself, Yu asked Kanji if he wanted to share his lunch with him when lunchtime rolled around. The blonde boy agreed to it, so they were now at the roof of the school, eating Yu's lunch.

Kanji was amazed at how tasty it was. It was just some daigaku-imo, but it was the most delicious one he had ever tasted. "Wow, this is sooo good! My own mom can't cook this well… mind making my school lunches?" he complimented, even jokingly asking that to his senpai. Yu just smiled at him with a small laugh, feeling like he was on cloud nine at the underclassman's praise. Yes, it was definitely worth it. He'll continue to work on getting rid of his crush later…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, since Yu just spent his lunchtime with Kanji, he chose to spend his time hanging out with the younger boy as well. They were now sitting at a small hut on a hill overlooking town after Kanji took him there.

"I've always liked this place. Being able to see my house and school and everything from up here... it makes me feel small," Kanji told Yu, smiling a little at the sight of the town from afar. His expression turned serious when he fell silent for a few seconds, then he looked at the silver-haired boy. "Uhh... when you met Ma at the hospital... she say anything about me?" he asked him. Yu nodded in response – what Mrs. Tatsumi told him was enough for him to understand the troubles her son went through. "Plenty."

"That's what I thought... well, you already know everything about me. I got nothin' to hide." Kanji had an embarrassed smile on his face as he said that. "Wish I could quit being afraid of hospitals. I gotta get stronger..." He stared at the ground for a moment before glancing to the right of him, noticing a kid sitting at the bench there. "Huh? That kid... he was with Ma at the hospital…"

Yu looked over and saw that it definitely was the child Kanji's mother brought to the hospital. He watched as Kanji got up to sit next to the kid, so he also got up and observed the two from nearby.

"Yo kid, what're you doin' here by yourself?" Kanji asked the young boy. The kid tried to dodge the question. "Uh... ummm... nothing..."

"Then how come you look like you're gonna cry?"

"I... lost a doll... I lost the knit rabbit doll that Sana-chan let me borrow... Taka-kun said it was girly and stomped on it... it got all dirty... and he said, 'If you're a man, then throw it away...'. I... threw the doll in the river... and it got washed away..." The quiet-looking boy began to sniffle… and he began to cry, hiccupping in between sobs. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!! What should I do!? I hafta give it back to Sana-chan... she liked that bunny... and I... I..."

Kanji was quiet as he heard the young boy's story. "…So why are you here? You ran away?" All he got as an answer were sniffles and hiccups from the kid… "...Ya dumb kid!"

This just made the young boy cry again. "Waaaaaaaaaaah!!"

Sighing, Kanji got up from the bench which made the child look up at him when he hasn't moved away. "C'mon! Don't just stand there!!" he told the kid. Yu finally realised what the blonde boy was about to do and approached him. Noticing him approaching, Kanji scratched his own head sheepishly with a smile. "Oh, uhh... I'm gonna go now."

The silver-haired boy smiled at him too. "I'll go with you, Kanji," he told him. This genuinely surprised Kanji, his eyes wide open. "Huh? Really!?" he asked, and the older boy nodded again in response. He's not going to leave the Kanji to do the work just because he was now going to the river to find the doll… hell, he'll go into the water himself to help out.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The three of them then went down to the flood plains where the river was.

Yu would've offered himself to help out, but Kanji told him to keep the brunette child who wanted to help as well from going into the river, thus he had to stay back and watch the underclassman search the cold river for the bunny doll. If the river was as cold as the river from back in the mountains, then he hoped that Kanji wouldn't fall sick because of the temperature. One could get all chilly if they stayed in ice cold water for too long… and that chilly feeling could develop into a cold or a fever.

However, despite how hard Kanji tried to search for the doll, he was unable to find it. He eventually came out of the river, his clothes wet from searching in the water… Yu struggled to not stare at the blonde boy's figure as his face flushed slightly. Damn it, he was in much deeper trouble with his emotions than he thought.

The young brunette boy bowed in apology. "I-I'm sorry... I'm going to apologize to Sana-chan. Even if she's mad, I'll say I'm sorry..." he murmured sadly. Kanji's eyebrows furrowed at his failure to find the bunny doll. "Uh, yeah, well, if you do find the rabbit, make sure you give it to her..." he said to him, trailing off for a moment as an idea hit him. "Yo, hold up. What kind of rabbit was it? Spill it." When the boy gave him a puzzled look, he pushed on. "Just tell me!"

So, the kid told him what kind of doll it was… Kanji nodded once he got the idea. "Alright, I got it. You apologize to this 'Sana-chan'. You're the one who 'threw it away'," he told the boy, who nodded in understanding. He continued to talk. "It might not be the same, but I'll get you a new one... so let it go with that."

"M-Mister..." The young boy called him that, which got the blonde boy a bit agitated. "Who you callin' mister!?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, the kid soon left to do what Kanji told him, leaving the two teenagers alone by the river.

"Geez... I'm still in high school. That's the prime of my youth!" Kanji commented, slightly annoyed at being called 'mister'. Then he became quiet as he thought about it for a few seconds. "...Do I really look that old? Maybe it's the eyebrows..." he muttered to himself, which Yu did manage to hear despite the noise from the water flow of the river. The younger boy soon remembered that his senpai was still standing there. "Oh... anyways, sorry 'bout dragging you into this..." he said, apologising. "It's okay… so, you're giving him a new one?" Yu asked him with a small smile, noticing that his junior had told the young boy that he'll get him a new doll.

Kanji seemed embarrassed as he lowered his head. "...So you heard me, huh?" He lifted his head to look at the silver-haired boy as he explained himself. "It was like I understood how he felt. Wanting to be accepted, afraid of being left out, doing stuff that you shouldn't... then taking the one person you shouldn't make cry and making 'em bawl... so... y'know, I thought maybe I could help him. Was I going too easy on him?" He then laughed with an embarrassed smile on his face, and Yu felt like he could understand him a bit more… the _Emperor Social Link_ grew stronger as well.

"Ah... hmmm?" Kanji cringed for a moment. "Guh, I feel like sneezing but it won't come out. This sucks... it looks like I'm catching a cold... I better head home."

"Oh, you should go then. I'll see you another day," Yu told him, concerned for the blonde boy's health now. Guess he was right about getting sick for being in the cold water too long.

Kanji could only nod, starting to feel a little chilly himself. "See ya, Senpai."

The two of them then waved goodbye at each other before parting. Yu was about to start walking home when he felt like he had to say something… so he turned to look at Kanji's moving figure. "Uh, Kanji!" he called out to him. Kanji looked back at him, wondering what he had to say. "Yeah, Yu-senpai?" he asked. The silver-haired boy shifted uneasily on his feet for a few seconds before blurting out what was on his mind. "Y-you don't look old, Kanji. You look great - never doubt that!" he told him with a slightly reddish hue to his cheeks, then he quickly ran off. Kanji ended up blushing as his eyes widened, leaving him stupefied at the sudden compliment. "W-what?!"

…All he could see was Yu's fleeing figure, with a hint of redness on the smaller boy's face.

"Huh…" Blinking a few times, it took Kanji a long while to snap out of his stupor after what just happened. Somehow… it left him feeling all fuzzy inside. Scratching his head awkwardly, he continued to walk back home with a few thoughts running in his head…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui only stopped running after she was in the neighbourhood where her uncle's house was, stopping in her steps and placing her hands on her knees to support herself while she panted. Her mouth felt dry from her practically fleeing the flood plains after those… _words_ … left it. She couldn't believe that she had the guts to say that – what would Kanji think of her now? Would he begin to avoid her? Think oddly of her? Or would their relationship just… break?

That thought made her chest hurt. So much.

Her breath hitched, and she trembled as she straightened herself. Only now did she notice how her actions around the man who caught her eye and attention weeks ago have merely made them both grow closer, and her thoughts about him grow warmer. She was a fool for not keeping her distance... and now she's further dug herself into a state she might never escape from. In a daze, she slowly walked down the road to her uncle's house while she lifted a shaking hand to grip the part of her shirt where her chest was tightly.

She got careless, and lost it.

She lost her heart to him, and he's unaware that he even holds it.

What used to be a crush has blossomed into something more, something bigger… and she's terrified of what's to come of it. How will she face the fact that her feelings would keep growing day by day, added with the reality that she will have to keep meeting him because they are a part of a team that was dealing with a whole other world? She can't run away, nor could she ignore them for so long. It's stupid, it's cheesy, it's ridiculous that she's going through this despite the life she's gone through, and yet, she just can't find it in her heart to deny these emotions any longer.

Because… she's in love. Fallen deeply in love with a man she can never love.

That was the painful truth.


	27. Deviate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's not right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh this is another long chapter for me - I almost miscalculated how many pages I had left before Rise came into the picture... but no worries, she's in this chapter. Oh well! And if there's mistakes in this chapter and the previous ones, forgive me... I only spot some mistakes if I bother to reread my chapters... which is funny, because I procrastinate a bit too much even when writing. ;w;

Yu sat in the living room with Nanako after eating dinner, staring blankly at the TV as the turmoil in his mind continued to wreak havoc on his thoughts. What is he going to do, now that the revelation that he was truly in love has finally come to the surface? To think that this might be how Ai Ebihara felt… it was terrible, but oh so warm. It felt like being in a sea of anxiety and joy all at the same time – he was scared, of course, but this love left him feeling all fuzzy and happy in a way. It left him genuinely confused on how to go on with this.

He's tired of thinking.

Getting up from the table with a quiet sigh, he told his cousin that he's going out for his part-time job at the hospital. An encounter with that nurse would be enough of a distraction from his dilemma right now… even if it's troubling to think that Sayoko seemed interested in him, that is, if she's in the hospital tonight anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon arriving at the hospital, Yu was ordered to clean an empty room that just got vacated. He did it without much of a word about it as he wanted to get his mind off the problems he was going through right now. It did give him a bit of a funny thought instead: how would his family react to knowing that he, the heir – well, _heiress_ of the famous Miyabi Jo Apparels company, was cleaning rooms and windows as a janitor in a hospital at a rural town? He'd probably get yelled at… but screw them, they're not here to tell him what to do with his time in Inaba.

Besides, he got a taste of how the maids and butlers that worked in the mansion that belonged to his parents felt. It was tough work, to clean every nook and cranny until it was spotless. Heck, he may have discovered a bit of a perfectionist complex for cleanliness in himself because of this job. There was still that nagging feeling of something watching him, yet he tried to ignore it as he eventually finished cleaning the room.

He then turned around to leave when he noticed Sayoko entering the place. "Nice work... were you waiting here for me?" she asked teasingly. Yu didn't say anything in response, staring at her blankly. The nurse merely smiled. "Oh, you sweet thing. Well, then... would you like to study with me? Perhaps a subject that they don't teach in school, if you catch my drift...?" she suggested. The silver-haired boy shook his head, knowing what she meant. Now he wondered if his choice in coming here tonight was one made in haste… "I'm not interested."

Sayoko smirked at him as she took a few steps closer to the teenager, now face to face. "Oho... you're an honest guy. That's cute, in boys your age." She then eyed Yu's body for a moment before staring into the silver-haired boy's eyes. "I don't find your type around here. The kids over here are much simpler. All they see is the carrot dangling in front of their faces... you're... I know. You seem to have some sort of secret deep inside you..." She smiled in satisfaction. "…I think it's irresistible."

Her words made Yu feel like as if he was being cornered. A secret deep inside him… she couldn't have noticed…? But she was still thinking of him as a boy, her mischievous affection still coming off of her in ripples. It must be a false alarm… though it still concerned the silver-haired teenager.

…The _Devil Social Link_ increased in strength from this little encounter.

"I'll see you again." Sayoko still gave him that satisfied smile as she left the room. Yu let out a breath he had been holding unknowingly, as if the cold grip of the devil had wrapped itself around his throat. He needed to be careful… nonetheless, he finished his work and went home.

* * *

 

Friday started by raining heavily, signalling the imminent arrival of the fog.

Yui was kind of glad that none of her friends were up to hanging out due to the rain… especially after what happened yesterday. She needed some time alone from people, but maybe a certain fox would do well for silent company. Besides, she had to report that she had successfully fulfilled the wish on the ema anyway – hence, without further ado, she left the school with her umbrella over her head and walked down to the shopping district. Once she was at the shrine, she looked up to see the fox on the roof again.

The creature jumped off the roof to land behind her, holding the ema with the request by that lonely boy in its mouth. She smiled at it when she noticed the worried look in its eyes. "Don't worry, the kid's got friends now."

When it heard that, it happily barked and spun around her legs a few times before running up to the offertory box. The fox seemed pleased at what it saw as it then howled excitedly while looking at Yui, grateful for the silver-haired girl's help. The _Hermit Social Link_ grew stronger, which still never made her stop wondering how in the world did she end up having a Social Link with a fox… but the TV world is strange enough, so she's not going to complain. With a small laugh, she went over to the shrine and sat by the old wooden steps as she closed her umbrella, now underneath the small roof of it.

It's strange how she's helping strangers by fulfilling the wishes on each ema the fox had shown her, but she needed some help with her own problems too.

Sighing, she stared out at the grey skies overhead, her gaze observing the pattering of the raindrops on the stone path as a small fog enveloped the area. It wasn't as bad as the usual fog that would appear after the rain had stopped, but it was enough to make one squint through the hazy air to see something from afar. This mist might as well be like her – she's lost her worries and questions, wondering just what to do with herself. She needed an answer… but who will give that to her?

Nearby, the fox approached the teenager and sat down next to her, a low hum or purr coming from the creature while it gazed at Yui. The silver-haired girl glanced at the fox and sadly smiled at it. "I wonder if you can understand the deep trouble I'm in…" she murmured to it. In response to her question, it yipped and bumped its head on her arm. "What, you want to know it?" Yui then asked, raising an eyebrow at its action. The fox straightened itself and barked at her, as if saying yes.

What an odd fox.

"Fine then…" Looking away from the animal, Yui stared out at the misty sight ahead of her. The fox might as well be her confidant on this rainy day. "I… I'm in love. With someone. He's a nice guy, with a soft personality under that tough look of his… but I shouldn't be feeling like this for him." Her cheeks were dusted pink as she admitted her predicament. "Yet I can't stop thinking of him, and I still have to see him whenever we meet up as a team… I know the logical thing to do is to keep my distance from him, however… I'm bound by a 'contract', so I can't just do that."

The fox then cocked its head. It seemed to understand, but something's puzzling it.

"…I can't reveal that I'm a girl to him, or to anyone. That's my real problem…" The silver-haired girl covered her eyes with a hand, letting the dark shadows blind her sight for the moment. "I'm afraid that my bonds with the people I know may break the moment I tell them the truth. I don't want to suffer that kind of pain – but the pain of potentially watching him fall for another girl is as painful as that. Plus, what would he think of me right now? Some kind of queer boy, or a weird guy?" Her breath hitched for a moment. "My chest just hurts all day, wondering if all of those will eventually become true."

Now the fox let out a small whine for her. It finally understood what her troubles were… Yui could only laugh pitifully, letting her hand fall from her eyes. "It's stupid. An heiress like me, forced to dress as the opposite gender as ordered by my parents, so my grandfather wouldn't pressure my family for a male heir after so long of trying to conceive one… and I've gone and made things worse by falling for a man…" She shook her head with a sigh, smiling wryly. "I've become a love-struck fool."

A bark from the animal next to her made her snap out of her self-demeaning speech. "…Ah."

Yui looked at the fox and noticed that it was kind of staring at her sternly… like a mother telling a child that they shouldn't think of themselves that way. For a moment, she stared back at it until the fox moved in front of her and got onto her lap by placing its front legs on it. "What are you…?" She paused when the animal then nuzzled her hand, and looked at her once it did that. She just gave it a look of confusion, which then made the fox repeat its action. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me," she bluntly told it, sheepish at the strange act.

The fox now looked somewhat frustrated. It got its front paws off of Yui's lap and ran up the stairs to the wooden floor she was sitting on in order to get closer to her. Once it did, it began rubbing its head on the girl's cheeks. "H-hey, why are you being so affectionate?" she questioned awkwardly. Then she noticed something – the fox never did something like this before… and it was certainly trying to tell her something as it stopped nuzzling her and gave her a knowing look in its eyes.

…Affectionate. Is it telling her to just… go for it?

"Oh, _no_. I can't just be all lovey-dovey with him!" Yui told it as her face reddened, almost like the colour of a rose. The fox barked at her with the same frustrated look, as if saying 'no'. "…You're not telling me to do that? What then…?" The silver-haired girl bit her lip while she tried to rack up an answer to the fox's actions. Her mind couldn't think of a single one, though… she looked back at the animal, still confused as to what it was trying to tell her. As a last resort, the fox went ahead and… uh, it looked like as if it was trying to smile. Except with sharp teeth.

Blinking a few times, Yui now wondered why it just 'smiled' when it hit her. Is it telling her just to discreetly show her feelings to Kanji with simple things, like a smile…? "You want me to… be natural and nice around him?"

At last, the fox yipped at her. That's definitely a yes. "Huh…" Yui thought about it for a moment. Rather than avoiding the man who held her heart… the fox was signalling her to just do simple things for him as an outlet for her emotions. It didn't sound too bad – she could just shrug it off as being friendly. At that conclusion, a small smile came to her lips. "…Maybe that’s just the answer I needed." She glanced at the fox with a grateful smile. "Thank you for showing me."

Happily yipping, the fox then went down the steps to let her leave as it was getting late. Yui got up from where she sat to do just that, opening her umbrella first before stepping out from under the roof. She had an answer to her problems now… it's time she kept it in practice. So, she left the shrine to go back home…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Without nothing much to do at home, Yu decided to go to the hospital that night for his part-time job again.

He was just about to finish wiping the windows when it seemed like as if there was a noise coming from the dark hallway… he ignored it and continued to work, though it did worry him as to what the hell is roaming this place at a time like this. Once he finished with the windows, he turned around to go into one of the rooms when he noticed an old lady in a mourning dress get up and walk forward. Yu blinked once, wondering if the darkness was playing tricks on him… is she even real?

The old lady then looked at his direction. "My... oh... forgive me…" After a few seconds of silence, she then walked down the dark hallway, leaving the silver-haired boy wondering who she was. Without much of an answer to that, he could only continue to work.

That is, until Sayoko found him and dragged him to an empty room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu faced the nurse with a blank stare, Sayoko smiled at him. "Well done. You could just slack off and do a half-assed job, but you really do work your cute little butt off, don't you?" she told him teasingly. "...So why are you working at a job like this?" she then asked him. The teenager just took the job for experience, but the money was an extra bonus – his parents didn't even send money to him, much less his grandfather, so he had to rely on part-time jobs and the money dropped by shadows in the TV world. "For the money," he answered, his voice unwavering.

"Hmmmm. You're a starving student? Then should you really be caught up here with a 'naughty' lady like me?" The nurse smiled mischievously, though it soon fell as she seemed to think of something. "But still, a young child shouldn't be wasting time wiping windows at the hospital... I'm sure there are girls who would cry if they saw you doing menial chores like this. Speaking of which... say, do you have a girlfriend?"

That question nearly made Yu freeze where he stood. What is he supposed to answer to that…? But seeing that she was endlessly teasing him and flirting with him, maybe he could throw her off that course. "…I do."

The same mischievous smile appeared on Sayoko's lips again. "Oho... then you can't let your girlfriend see you like this, hmm?" After saying that, she turned around with her back towards him. "...High schoolers are so young. They're only ten years younger, but they seem so far away... it's like they're glittering... I feel this... what do you call it? Envy? Maybe that's why..." She fell silent for a few seconds… then turned to face the silver-haired boy. "...I just want to see them get screwed over by life."

For a moment, Yu thought that she was serious. The nurse laughed, however. "Oho, that was a joke, of course. Half of it was, anyway..." Suddenly, she got closer to the teenager and looked at him in the eye. "...Do you see what I'm getting at?" she asked with a suggestive tone. Yu held back his nervousness and tried to stand his ground. "Stop it!"

"Oho... I keep telling you, silly, that that's the kind of reaction I just find... irresistible...!" Sayoko smirked at him. She then glanced at the door of the room. "I have to go now. I have a lot of work piling up. But I just can't help myself... it's because you're just so cute..." She smiled in satisfaction, and Yu could still feel her mischievous affection for him… as a result, the _Devil Social Link_ became stronger. Eventually the black-haired woman looked at him again. "Sorry to bother you while you're on the job. Keep up the good work, okay?" She left the room as teenager watched her leave…

Eventually, Yu finished his job and went home. Tomorrow would still be a rainy day.

* * *

 

School ended the next day without much trouble. Yu had decided to go to town and see if the fox at the shrine had any requests for him to fulfil… and it did - this time, it was a request by a man who wanted to 'recapture the joy of life'. He accepted the request like usual, but seeing that it was still raining heavily, he probably wouldn't have any luck finding this man today. Thus, he spent his afternoon studying in the library at school before finally returning home for the evening.

The news on TV spoke that a thick fog would be enveloping Inaba that very night. Tonight, he'll have to check… but he's sure that there will be nothing on the Midnight Channel. As he did check, his guesses were true. Since Rise was already saved, the killer was thwarted once more. But now there's this dreaded feeling in his chest, like something bad was going to happen…

* * *

 

…Yui woke up to the sound of sirens in the distance.

As she got up with confusion, her cell phone suddenly rang out from where it was near her futon. Picking it up, she answered the call to hear Chie's voice on the other end.

_"D-D-Did you hear yet!? They found a dead body just outside the shopping district! I don't get it! I mean, we… look, we're all meeting at Junes. Come over right away!"_

The silver-haired girl could barely say a word upon hearing that as the call then ended. Rise was already saved… she couldn't have been the victim! Yet Yui can't be sure until she met up with the others at Junes, so she hastily got out of her futon and began to get dressed in her school clothes to go out.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rushing over to the food court at Junes, Yu looked around to see where the team was. He soon heard Chie calling him from nearby, his head turning to glance at where her voice was. "Hey, over here!" Chie was standing at a table, waving worriedly at him. Seeing that everyone but Yosuke was at a table, he approached them with that question in mind. "Where's Yosuke?" he asked her. "Yosuke went over to check out the scene. He should be back soon…" Chie answered. Just as she said that, Yosuke ran over to the table with a grim expression on his face, gasping when he stopped. "Yeah, it was murder all right. The body was hanging upside down on an apartment's rooftop railing…"

"But… how could that…?" Yukiko could hardly believe it. However, the brunette boy had even worse news. "That's not all. The victim this time… it was King Moron."

This shocked everyone, and even made Yukiko and Kanji get up from their seats. How could have they been so wrong with this…?

"K-King Moron…!?" Chie stared at Yosuke with wide eyes, horrified to know that the supposed victim wasn't Rise… but rather, it was their homeroom teacher. Even Yu couldn't believe what he was hearing – sure, he disliked the guy, but to know that he's murdered… that's just nothing short of a tragedy. "You mean THAT King Moron!? Senpai's homeroom teacher?" Kanji was startled to hear who the victim was. Chie couldn't make sense of it. "Wh-Why…!? What on earth's going on here!?"

"How am I supposed to know!? But I talked to a guy there who saw it!" Yosuke told her, his expression falling. "It's true… there's no mistake."

"Gotta be shitting me… ain't the killer targeting people who get shown on TV? I ain't never seen King Moron on the Midnight Channel, or any other programs!" Kanji then said, not buying it. Yosuke stared down at the ground, gritting his teeth. "Why…? Why did this happen?" he muttered, his hands turning into fists. Chie hung her head morosely. "I thought we finally figured some things out… were they all just a big coincidence…?"

"Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn't have anything to do with this…" Yukiko murmured, her expression crestfallen. It frustrated Yosuke who shouted angrily. "Dammit! We came so far, and now we're back to square one!?" His shoulders then slumped. "Were we in over our heads, trying to catch a culprit that even the police couldn't find…?"

"No, it's too early to give up just yet," Yu told him and the others, trying to encourage them. There must be something behind all this, even if there was the possibility that they've been wrong the whole time since they formed this team. Kanji had to nod in agreement. "Damn straight! We started this thing 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. We give up now, and that shithead's gonna be on the loose forever. This ain't the time for bitching and moaning… we just gotta keep on keepin' on."

"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko was surprised to hear such a speech from the blonde boy. Yosuke couldn’t help but smile at that. "Hmph… big talk from someone like you, Kanji," he commented. "Wh-What's that s'posedta mean!?" Kanji questioned him, a bit uneasy at the brunette boy's words. Yosuke just sighed with the smile still on his face. "I know… we're dealing with a murderer here. But we've all risked our lives to get this far… no way we'll back down. And we promised the bear, too…"

Chie then realised something. "Hey, that's right! Maybe Teddie knows something about this!"

"Well, since moping around won't do us any good, let's go see him!"

They all nodded in agreement, and soon headed to the electronics department.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived, they were met with the sight of some staff talking among themselves. It was strange – staff weren't usually around this department, which was what allowed them to frequent their trips to the TV world and back without much trouble. Yosuke approached a pair of employees discussing something.

"Hi there. Did something happen?" he asked them both. The female employee noticed him. "Ah, Yosuke-kun."

"Great timing. Did the manager tell you anything about this?" The other employee then asked the brunette. When Yosuke gave him a confused look, he explained some more. "There's been this weird mascot around our department for quite a while now… is there some kind of campaign on today?" he asked again. "Mascot…?" The brunette boy just seemed puzzled. "He said his name was… uh, what was it? Terry? Eddie?" The female employee tried to remember the name of the 'mascot', which sounded… very familiar. The other male employee decided to let it be. "Well, there are no customers around, so I guess it's fine… I better get back to my station."

So the pair left, leaving Yosuke standing there with a troubled look. "Please don't tell me…"

Looking to the side, what Chie then saw shocked her. "Whoa, h-he's here!" she told the others. Everyone else glanced at where the brunette girl looked as well, and they reacted the same way… for what sat in one of the massaging chairs on display was none other than Teddie. It was really the bear, in his colourful suit and teddy bear-like shape. In the real world. At Junes. How ridiculous was _that_?

"Aaaaahhh. This really hits the spot." Teddie was noticeably enjoying the massage chair… the team ran over to him, startled to see that he's in the real world in the first place. Yosuke was stuttering in disbelief, unable to form words. "Wh-What the…? I mean, how'd you…?"

The bear then saw them all there. "It took you guys long enough! I've been waiting."

"Teddie, are you okay on this side!?" Yukiko asked him in surprise. "How did you even leave your side!?" Kanji also asked, his eyes wide with shock. The bear answered them in a casual manner. "Of course I can come out. There's an exit. It just never occurred to me to do it before. But spending time with you all sparked my curiosity about this world! I did wonder if it was a good idea, but my feel started moving before I could decide. And when I thought about it, I had nowhere to go, and it was a waste to go back. So I waited here for you. Oh, someone asked for my name. So I told them, 'I'm Teddie'."

Chie felt sheepish. "So that's why…" Though it didn't really answer the real question of _how_ can he be in this world.

"Oh yeah, there's something we need to ask you! How long have you been here, Teddie? Did anyone enter the other world?" Yukiko asked again. "I stayed until the fog settled in on my side, but no one came," Teddie told them. The team perked up at those words – there was no one in the other world when the fog came? "You're positive? You really didn't sense a single person?" Yosuke questioned him in a serious tone.

"I just said that I didn't! I was there all by myself, like always. Hmph!"

"And your nose wasn't clogged or anything…?"

This got Teddie mad. "Grrr, aren't you listening!? I was utterly, totally, and 100% alone! That's why I came over here! But I can understand if you don't believe me. My senses aren't that good lately anyways…"

"Hey, I believe you, Teddie," Yu said to the bear, smiling softly. Teddie's doing his best despite his senses failing since they first saved Yukiko… and it's not fun to be underappreciated. Teddie smiled happily at the silver-haired boy's belief in him. "Oh! Sensei's heart is radiating pure kindness…!"

Chie looked at Yu. "Well, it's true that the Midnight Channel was blank last night. And even before that… Teddie says he didn't sense anything, right? Does that mean… King Moron was never on that side?" she wondered. Yosuke sighed, crossing his arms. "Hmm… what's going on?"

"Hey, hey, I wanna go somewhere!" Teddie spoke up. "Huh? Now ain't the time, dude… you seriously don't plan on going back, do you? Where do you wanna go, anyway?" Kanji asked him, a bit exasperated. The bear then got off the massaging chair, a pair of glasses with a pink frame in his hand. "I want to give this to Rise-chan. It's for her." He handed it over to Yu. "Rise-chan will probably back us up from now on! So I'm gonna fight alongside you with everything I got!"

Now that shocked everyone else. Teddie's going to fight with them?

"Don't think of me as the same cute little Teddie! I'm an all-new model! I have a powerful attack, an unbeatable defence, and a winning smile! Today begins the New Legend of Teddie!"

"Wow… a new legend…" Yukiko seemed astonished, but the rest just looked at the bear uncertainly. Nonetheless, Teddie has joined the group as a front-line fighter now… he'll be a strong asset in their battle against the Shadows. Because of this, the strength of the _Fool Social Link_ increased…

People began to gather around them as they stared at Teddie. Yosuke began to worry. "Uh-oh, people are starting to stare… keep it down, willya Ted!? C'mon, let's go somewhere else!"

So, they headed back to the food court with Teddie.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, just to make sure, I'm gonna ask you one last time. Nobody was over there, except for you, until the fog came back. Correct?" Yosuke was questioning Teddie, just to make sure that the bear wasn't wrong. "That's what I've been saying," The bear told him, now seated in a chair while the brunette boy was standing next to him. "He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel either…" Chie mused, now seeing how Mr. Morooka's death wasn't like the others… "What's up with that?" Kanji questioned.

Yosuke sighed. "No clue… but I think we can be sure now that King Moron was never thrown into the TV."

"Then what, he was killed over here? Why not throw him into a TV, like all the rest?" Chie asked, raising a question that still hung over everyone's head. Yu guessed that the killer possibly had some special reason to kill Mr. Morooka… "It's possible that they never intended to."

"They never intended to…? So you're saying he wasn't like the other victims to begin with? But why?" Yosuke tried to think about it. After a moment, Yukiko soon realised why. "Maybe the culprit thought he couldn't kill any more people by throwing them into TVs. I mean, we prevented his last three attempts in a row," she told them her theory. Chie nodded, her eyes widening as that theory made sense. "Ahhh, I get you… that could be it!"

Kanji grew frustrated at the turn of events. "So they snuffed someone on our side this time to make sure it worked. Dammit… if that's true, then we have no way of preventing more murders unless we catch the killer!"

"We need more clues… I wonder if Rise-chan's up and around yet."

"Yeah… we'll have to put our hopes on her." Yosuke then glanced at Teddie who was… sweating? The bear sighed, feeling uncomfortable. "It's so hot out… I'm taking this off." His words made the rest of the team stare at him in shock as Yosuke looked around worriedly. "Wait, you're not talking about your head, are you!?" Upon seeing Teddie reaching for the head of his suit, the brunette boy pressed on it to stop him. "Cut it out! There's kids watching! Geez… they'll be scarred for life if they see an empty mascot walking around. Have a little consideration, man."

"I'm glad you're back to normal, though. Your fur's all fuzzy again!" Yukiko said, smiling at the bear. "C-Can I feel it…?" Kanji asked meekly, though Teddie just flat out refused to let him. "No!"

The blonde boy just huffed quietly, somewhat dejected at being refused by the bear to touch his fur. Teddie merely gazed at the others with an excited expression. "Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear! Mwahaha! I trained and trained, hoping to someday score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan… and now I finally have an inside!" he announced gleefully. Chie didn't sound too convinced. "Yeah… good job with that."

Yukiko was more annoyed about what the bear said. "Come on! Can't we give it a rest with the whole 'scoring' thing?"

"Dude, you're hollow. Taking your head off isn't gonna cool you down!" Yosuke said, looking at Teddie with some puzzlement at the bear's persistence in taking off the head of his suit. Teddie just looked like he could sweat himself a whole bucket. "But I just told you! I'm not hollow anymore! Agh, it's too hot. I can't stand it…" He reached his hands behind him to grab at the zipper of his suit, struggling to open it… the teenagers stared at him as he did, until he managed to get his suit open.

Inside the bear's suit was a sight they never expected. Ever.

"Whoa! What the…?" Yosuke was taken aback at the sight of a handsome blonde-haired boy inside the suit, who was naked and sweating heavily, but was obviously enjoying the cool breeze. "Ah… much better…" The boy spoke, bearing Teddie's voice… "No way…!" Chie murmured, flabbergasted at what she saw. The boy – or is it really Teddie? – then picked up a can of soda on the table and began to drink it somewhat… attractively as well. The shining of the sunlight on his pristine-white skin just added to it.

Teddie let out a satisfied sigh once he took a few gulps. "Ahh… that hit the spot." He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of sapphire blue eyes that could mesmerise just about anyone, perhaps even a guy. Yu stared at him, stunned at what he was seeing – if this was really Teddie, then the male models he saw in the city before were no match for Teddie's… er, beauty.

It was almost as if Teddie was sparkling in the sunlight as he looked at Chie and Yukiko with a smile. "Hey, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan."

"Y-Yes…?" Chie's eyes were wide as she kept staring at the light blonde boy.

"Do you have anything to wear? I'm basically like a newborn at the moment…"

"T-Teddie? Is that really you…?"

"Umm…" Yukiko could hardly form words in her mind. A moment later, the brunette girl noticed what Teddie just said. "Wait, did you say you're like a newborn!? Then don't take the bottom part off!" A small blush appeared on her cheeks. "You need some clothes, right? C'mon, let's go look around…" She, Yukiko and Teddie then went off to get some clothes for the bear-now-turned-human, leaving the rest of the team at the table.

"That's… Teddie…?" Kanji murmured, staring at Teddie with visible shock in his own eyes. "He said he's not hollow anymore… so, like… he grew himself a body in there?"

"What kinda creature would do that!? I mean… what IS he?" Yosuke then sighed, shaking his head. "Then again, this is hardly the first bizarre thing we've seen… and I gotta admit, it's probably better than him walking around in his bear suit." He then remembered something. "Oh, hey, weren't we gonna see about talking to Rise? I was so shocked that I lost track of what we were talking about. Let's head over to Rise's place. As for Teddie… he's with the girls, so he should be fine."

Yu and Kanji nodded in agreement with the brunette boy's suggestion, so they went home first to change into their regular clothes before heading down to the shopping district.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The trio decided to wait for the girls and Teddie, so they stopped for some Topsicles… which were like popsicles but they're not exactly popsicles either. Yu didn't even know how to explain about them, other than the fact that they're pretty good.

"Mmmm-mmm! It's finally the season for Topsicles again." Kanji was enjoying his two Topsicles as he ate them. Yosuke stared at him with some concern. "Dude, how many are you going to eat? You're gonna get a stomach ache."

Yu just laughed at that. "Just let him be, Yosuke. The summer heat is hot enough already," he said jokingly to his best friend. "Ugh… fine, but don't say I didn't warn him!" Yosuke retorted with a small groan, but he chuckled nonetheless. Kanji looked over at the silver-haired boy, to which Yu noticed him doing so. Remembering his time with the fox two days earlier, he chose to follow the advice the fox had shown him and gave the blonde boy a soft yet bright smile to him. His cheeks had a rosy hue to them – whether that was because of the heat or something else, no one would know but him.

Kanji could only stare at him in surprise as his own cheeks began to grow red, but nonetheless, he kind of smiled back at his senior. They certainly didn't forget what happened back in the flood plains… but they weren't about to say a thing about it anytime soon.

The moment was broken by the arrival of both Chie and Yukiko.

"Sorry we're late…" Chie told them apologetically. Yosuke sighed with a shake of his head. "How'd it take you that long to find clothes for Ted?" he questioned them. At that time, Teddie then approached them while dressed in some fancy modern clothes that fit his new appearance quite well. The trio of boys froze at the sight of him. "Whoa…! I-Is that you, Teddie…?" Yosuke asked nervously, his eyes wide with surprise. Teddie nodded, smiling. "Oui, monsieur! How do I look?"

"C'est magnifique." Yu couldn't help it, even answering in a French accent himself. He just grinned cheekily while Chie groaned. "Uh, don't encourage him. I have to say, it totally blew my mind, but he's Teddie alright. This guy had to make it a huge ordeal… everything was new to him, so it turned into a big mess. He was so excited in the women's section that he started blabbering…" She then looked at Teddie and began scolding him, causing him to hang his head in shame. "Hey, you can't just go around doing whatever you please when you're in this form, got it?"

"Well, he can't help it. It's his first time in our world." Yukiko was more forgiving, though. The brunette girl sighed. "All right… you don't need to get all mopey like that," she told the light blonde boy next to her. "I never said I won't forgive you!"

In an instant, Teddie lifted his head and smiled in relief. "I'm so glad! I was worried that you didn't like me anymore."

Chie chuckled at that. "Man… if you can behave yourself, you'll be pretty cute."

For some reason, Yosuke began to ask Kanji about that. "Is he cute…? What do you think, Kanji?" he asked the younger boy next to him. Kanji stared at him warily. "Huh? What're you asking me for?" he asked back.

"Well, I was just wondering if he was your type."

"Yosuke…" Yu looked at his best friend disapprovingly. They were supposed to be over with this.

Thankfully, Kanji seemed like he was not taking shit from the brunette boy anymore. "Ohhh… I get it. What you're really asking is… 'Will you please beat the shit out of me, Kanji?'."

Now this got a troubled look out of Yosuke, and Yukiko began to laugh despite trying to hold in it.

"It ain't funny, Yukiko-senpai."

"S-Sorr-heehee…"

Chie just sighed again. "You'll have to forgive Yukiko. She's helpless once she gets this way…"

"Oooh, please, everyone! Don't fight over me, baby!" Teddie told them all, which only infuriated Kanji more. "Shuddup! You picking a fight with me!?"

And this made Yukiko totally lose it. "Ahahahahahaha!"

"Geez… oh well." Yosuke then gave Kanji a 1000-yen bill. "Here, Kanji. Get whatever ice cream you want, just share it with Teddie. We're gonna head for the tofu shop. Wait here until we get back."

"Wow, you're rich!" Teddie was astonished to see the brunette boy give some money to Kanji. "I can't just take this from you!" Kanji said as he shook his head, shocked that Yosuke would give him some money in the first place. Yosuke glanced at Teddie with a small smile. "Think of it as a welcome-back party for Teddie. Just don't go around making a racket."

Chie and Yukiko looked at each other for a moment, then the former smiled at the brunette boy. "Whoa, Yosuke, what's gotten into you? You're acting like a real senpai all of a sudden. Oh, I get it. You might say differently, but you're still nice to Teddie. I'm glad Yosuke's developing into such a mature adult. Someone who doesn't let trifles bother him."

…This sounded off.

"What…? You're worrying me, Chie." Yosuke looked at her suspiciously.

"Oh, it's about Teddie's clothes, that's all. We didn't have the money for them, so we charged the rest to you."

"Charge?" Yosuke then realised what she meant. "WHAT!? You put it on my account!? What the hell, Chie!? I never said you could do that!"

"What else were we supposed to do!? This stuff was expensive, even for Junes!"

The brunette boy took a few steps back, dismayed at the news. "You seriously charged it to me? Wh-Why would you do that!? You know I've been saving up to buy a motorcycle!"

"Oh, that. You don't need one."

"What!?"

Teddie attempted to calm Yosuke down. "C'mon baby. Stop fighting over--" He got cut off by the brunette boy yelling at him. "Shuddup! This is your fault, y'know! Grrrrr… you listen here, Ted… you better take really, really, REALLY good care of that. If you put even a single tear in it, I'll make your next set of clothes out of the bear hide you took off!"

This made the light blonde boy look down in shame once more as Chie and Yosuke started another one of their arguments…

"Yo Teddie, don't let it get you down," Kanji told Teddie. "Let's go get some Topsicles."

At that suggestion, the light blonde boy ran around the arguing pair to go with Kanji so they could get some Topsicles. Yu watched the guy who held his heart leave with Teddie with a wistful gaze until Yukiko spoke to him. "Let's go on ahead… I think they're going to be a while."

"Ah… alright." With a nod, the silver-haired boy went to the tofu shop with her, leaving Chie and Yosuke to argue it out among themselves.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they arrived at the tofu shop, they saw the person Kanji had talked with back when they first saw him was there. "Ah… I had a feeling you'd come."

"You're…!" Yukiko recognized the blue-haired boy from that day as well. He approached the two, speaking with such formality. "Are you here to ingratiate yourself with Rise Kujikawa now?"

Just then, Yosuke and Chie arrived there as well. "Geez… Why did the clerk even let them charge it to someone else…?" The former muttered under his breath when he soon noticed the blue-haired boy with Chie. "Huh? W-Wait, you're that guy we saw with Kanji…!"

"Precisely. I don't believe we've met since then - in fact, I don't believe I've ever introduced myself. My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'm investigating the multiple murders that have occurred here."

This surprised the team. This boy was a detective?

"Mind if I ask you a few questions on the subject? The latest victim, Kinshiro Morooka… he was a teacher at the school you all attend, correct?" Naoto questioned them. "S-so what?" Chie asked him nervously.

"The public is focused on the fact that he is associated with the second victim's school… but in truth, that's irrelevant. What intrigues me is the inconsistency. This Morooka… has never appeared on television. What do you make of that?"

Now that took the team off guard. Somehow, this Naoto Shirogane guy has figured out the pattern of the murderer too… he's quite impressive if compared to the police officers of Inaba.

"…How are we supposed to know?" Yosuke said, trying to act like he didn’t know anything about it. "Well, we'll leave it at that." Naoto then walked around the group to leave, but stopped in his steps for a moment. "Well then, until we meet again." He continued on his way after that, leaving the group feeling like they just got their deepest secrets revealed. "Who is that guy…?" Yosuke murmured, watching as the blue-haired boy left.

"It felt like he completely saw through us… he even knew about the TV thing." Chie seemed worried at that. Before they could continue on about that, they heard a voice from behind them. "Oh… hi."

Turning around, they saw who that voice belonged to – Rise Kujikawa.

"Rise-chan!" Yukiko smiled upon seeing Rise looking all fine and healthy. "Are you okay now…?" she asked, to which the dark brunette girl nodded in response. Yosuke smiled as well in relief. "Good, good…"

"Are you all here to check up on me?" Rise then asked them, wondering why they were all gathered in front of the tofu shop.

"Well, yeah…"

"Oh, um… do you guys have a moment? There's something I want to tell you. Follow me. My grandma's taking care of the shop today."

"Huh? Sure, okay…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went to the shrine with Rise, with her telling them of what she remembered when she got kidnapped. "Yeah, I remember being at my house… when I came to, though, I was already in the other world."

Chie sighed, dejected at the lack of helpful information. "Still no real information on the killer…"

Yosuke decided to ask the dark brunette girl something else. "We met this weird kid named Naoto a second ago…" he started off. Rise recognized who he meant. "Oh… he's come to the shop several times. He asked me a lot about the incident. I didn't tell him anything about the other world, though. I figured it'd be a waste of time. Actually, he asked me about you guys too, but I just made up some stuff. Like, 'They found me unconscious on the roof at Junes'."

"Well, I guess that's close enough to the truth."

"Um… so…" Rise seemed nervous… "Hm…? What's up?" Chie asked her in concern.

"Um… I-I really appreciate what you did for me…" Rise's face immediately brightened up with a smile. "Thank you soooo much! I love you guys!" Her words got the team a little flustered at the word of thanks. "Huh…? Awww, you don't have to thank us!" Chie told her, smiling sheepishly. Yosuke was blushing at how cute Rise was, or so he said. "Dude… she's so cute… man, it's finally hitting me that you're the real deal. You really are Risette."

"Well, I know I sounded gloomy and all from stress, so… I-I thought you might not like me that way…" Rise admitted to them. "Do I… sound weird? Oh, but I guess it sounds more 'natural' this way to the public… I'm sorry… I've practically lost touch with what the normal me is like." Her smiled fell as she said that. Chie laughed a little. "Haha, no need to apologize. Just do what comes naturally."

"I think everyone has multiple sides to them. You don't have to force yourself to decide on just one," Yukiko added with a reassuring smile.

"Haha, it sounds convincing when Yukiko says it."

"Huh…? R-Really?"

Rise was silent at the exchange for a few seconds… then she chuckled, smiling again. "Thanks. I'm glad you're the first people I got to know here."

"Oh yeah, we almost forgot your present. The Teddie Glasses." Chie remembered the pair of glasses Teddie had given to Yu back at Junes. "Um, you don't have to take them, but… well…" She glanced at Yu who nodded at her, knowing what she meant. The thing is… what should he say when giving them to her…?

Rise didn't miss the contemplating look in the silver-haired boy's eyes. "Senpai… would you be struggling without my help?"

The rest of the teenagers stared at her in surprise. Was she willing to do this?

"I can help you in that world, right? With my power… so wouldn't it be better if I joined the team?"

…Guess that Yu didn't even have to ask her to join. Nodding in response, he gave her the pair of glasses. "These are kinda proof that you're one of us…" Yosuke told the dark brunette girl. Yu went ahead and explained the effect of the glasses of Rise. "These glasses help us to see through the fog in that world, and by wearing them, you won't be affected too much by the atmosphere there."

"I see… I do remember you all wearing glasses over there." Rise smiled brightly. "Thanks, Senpai. Now I'm part of the team, too!"

Now Rise Kujikawa has joined the group – she'll definitely be a strong asset in solving the case. Yu could feel the _Fool Social Link_ grow in strength as a new member has joined the team… Rise's powers seemed much stronger than Teddie's, so she'll probably be essential in locating victims in the TV world.

"I'll be going to Yasogami High, starting tomorrow. But I don't have any friends yet, so don't ignore me, alright?" Rise's cheeks reddened slightly as she smiled at the silver-haired boy. "I do owe you my life, so… you know…"

"Leave it to me," Yu told her with a smile back. It shouldn't be too much trouble… though he still had to be careful. His response surprised Rise. "W-Wow… I didn't realize you were so cool, Senpai."

"This sure is a rough time to transfer here, though," Yosuke commented. "The kidnappings, King Moron's death… all that, and exams are soon, too." He sighed at the reminder that exams were coming. "Exams… now I'm depressing myself. I wonder if there's any chance they'll be cancelled…"

"I doubt it. They always hold exams, rain or shine…" Chie told him, looking just as troubled as the brunette boy was. Rise chuckled at the two's words. "I almost got killed by those monsters. Compared to that, exams are nothing."

Yosuke crossed his arms, nodding. "Alrighty then, let's discuss the case some more tomorrow at our special headquarters."

The sound of footsteps from behind alerted them to someone approaching them. When they turned around, they only saw Kanji there. "Yo. How's it going?" he greeted casually. "Dude, Teddie ate five Topsicles… though if you count the ones I had before, that makes six, so I still win." He said that with a smile, as if he was proud about that fact. Yosuke stared at him weirdly. "No one asked…"

"We're all done talking already!" Rise told the blonde boy. She then got closer to Yu, holding his arm as she grinned cheerfully. "Let's go, Senpai!"

The silver-haired boy was trying with all of his might to not grimace at the closeness he had with the idol. Ah, fuck… if Rise was going to be this close, he's going to immensely regret being a gentleman to her, but it's not like he had a choice to _not_ act like that anyway. Kanji raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Uh… when did you get so chipper?"

Rise smiled at Kanji as well. "Do you go to Yasogami, like Senpai? I'll be starting school there tomorrow, so I hope we get along too."

"Huh? Oh… cool. Uhh… what grade are you in?"

Yukiko let out a small snort. Yosuke ignored her and asked him where Teddie was. "So, where's Teddie?"

"He's over there, finishing up his fifth Topsicle. What are we gonna do with him?"

The brunette boy sighed. "Well… I guess I'll take him home…"

With all that done, they split up and went home for the day.

Yu was left feeling troubled at the new circumstances he was now in – how is he going to handle Rise's actions and his feelings towards Kanji all at the same time? He finally came to terms with his emotions… and now he had to deal with an idol's evident flirting towards himself.

…What a life.


	28. Out of Their Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case now has a suspect identified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little bit more of social links and game events, and maybe some extra. I'm just distracted by a cat these days - she's suddenly so loving, how can I pass up the chance? Welp, next chapter might be more social links while waiting for Mr. Killer Student to show up...

Yu had himself a hot drink while watching the news with Nanako that was talking about the murders in Inaba… and that the third victim was Mr. Morooka. As worrying as the circumstances of that man's death was, he was a little preoccupied with his new problem about Rise – she's too close for his own comfort, and he's already in love with a guy… the worst thing that can happen now was that she or any other girl he knew fell in love with him. That'll just make it harder for him to reveal his true gender.

"What's wrong? Was it someone you know?" Nanako asked him, looking a bit scared. "…He died?"

Noticing the look on his cousin's face, the silver-haired boy tried to calm her down. "It's okay… I'm here with you." He gave her a reassuring smile. Nanako nodded, smiling back with some relief. "I'm all right…"

Focusing back on the news, Yu noted how livelier it sounded this time. The reporters must be having a blast talking about Mr. Morooka's ways of teaching and how it might be the motive for his murder. However, this all only meant one thing for Nanako whose smile fell. "Dad won't be coming home again today…" she murmured sadly. Now the silver-haired boy wondered on how to cheer her up – he had already talked to her… oh, maybe a magic trick could do.

So, he got her attention by holding his hands up together. Then, he seemingly moved a finger on his right hand to his left, or so it did to the little girl sitting opposite of him. It was an old trick he saw when he was young, but he had a feeling that it would get Nanako's attention anyway… and it did. "Huh?! Do it again, do it again!"

"Alright then…" Chuckling, Yu repeated the trick again though this time, he moved a finger on his left hand to his right hand. Nanako seemed to cheer up at the trick, looking surprised. "It moved! Hey, how did you do that? Tell me, tell me!"

At least he got his cousin all happy again. When it got late, he put her to bed like usual before going back to his room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

_Falling back into the depths of his dreams, Yu instead found himself in the extravagant interior of the limousine-like Velvet Room, with Igor and Margaret at the other end of the vehicle the moment he opened his eyes._

_"Welcome. It's been quite some time…" Igor greeted him, his voice smooth and deep like it has always been. "Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world… I have summoned you within your dreams. How are things proceeding…? Are you gradually drawing nearer to a solution to the mystery…?"_

_Nodding once, the silver-haired boy answered, "…Yes."_

_"Excellent."_

_"The season has changed, but your future is not yet closed. In time, a path will open to you," Margaret informed the teenager._

_"Our true reason for calling you here tonight is to provide a new form of assistance to help you achieve just that. Fusing Personas… have you been using our services diligently? The aid we will henceforth provide is an advanced form of fusion… I speak of the power to fuse four or more Personas at once. I am quite certain that this will enable you to command even stronger powers…" Igor added, signalling to Yu that he could now do advanced types of fusions. Whatever that was, he'll have to visit the Velvet Room again another day._

_"Now… your journey will soon reach its climax… and as a result, many challenges - which I cannot foresee at present - await you. Most interesting…" Igor chuckled, giving the silver-haired boy a knowing smile. "Well, until we meet again… farewell."_

_The world began to fog up, and Yu eventually couldn't see anything but the white mist covering his eyes… until it all turned to inky black._

* * *

 

"Yo, Yu."

Glancing behind him, Yu saw Yosuke running up to him from behind. "Oh, Yosuke."

The brunette soon caught up to him and walked at the same pace for a small chat. "I still can't believe it… our homeroom teacher was killed. I… couldn't get that much sleep yesterday." He sighed for a moment. "How about you? Are you alright?" he then asked.

"I'm fine." As much as he disliked the poor bastard of a teacher, Yu could only feel sorry for the guy who was now gone from this world. No one deserves to die so early – not even Mr. Morooka. Sure, one could talk about the ones who truly deserve death for their crimes… but death in that case is merely an escape. What those people deserve is a life sentence in prison, to live out their lifetimes until death comes to knock on their doors.

"Well… if we start getting depressed over something like this, we'll never catch the killer, huh? Hmm… oh, yeah… this means we'll be getting a new homeroom teacher. I wonder who it'll be… well, I'm pretty sure that they won't be able to find anyone worse than King Moron."

"Don't tempt fate…" murmured the silver-haired boy. God only knows how many times he's heard a phrase similar to that… and knowing Yosuke's luck, the replacement teacher is probably going to be worse than Mr. Morooka.

~*~*~*~*~*~

…Like always, Yosuke was wrong.

The new homeroom teacher that entered the room was a woman this time, but instead of being irritable like Mr. Morooka, she was… sultry. The way she left her pink collared shirt slightly unbuttoned to show her lacy red bra was a no-brainer to her attitude. "Goooood mornin'. I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your new class teacher starting today."

In an instant, Yu could see the horrified looks on everyone's faces.

"You all probably know already, but now that Mr. Morooka has passed away… I'll be taking good care of you instead." She giggled, her voice quite befitting her appearance. "Okay, why don't we start off with a moment of silence for Mr. Morooka. Close your eyes, everyone…"

Following her order, everyone including Yu shut their eyes…

"…That should be good enough."

The moment they opened their eyes, they saw Ms. Kashiwagi sitting on the desk with her legs and arms crossed in a way that was meant to be seductive, but it just made her look creepy to the average guy. She's as bad as Mr. Morooka at this point…

"I'll do my best to fill Mr. Morooka's shoes. So our regular exams are still on track for next week. As your principal said, 'It's times like these when the schedule is most important, Nori-chan'." The brunette lady giggled again. "It must be tough for you. But that's what it means to become an adult, little by little." She gave them all a teasing smile. "Oh, and one more thing. That idol in our first-year class… Ms. Kujikawa, was it? In person, she's nothing like she seems on TV, so don't get your hopes up, mmkay?"

In an instant, her face twisted in disgust. "What's so great about an idol anyway, right class? She's just a piece of inexperienced jailbait." She began ranting on and on from there, and Yu felt like she's _worse_ than Mr. Morooka now. He could handle a man being a shitty guy in general, but a woman ranting on about other girls in a never-ending battle of beauty is something he can never understand. As all that happened, he could hear his classmates gossiping… and what caught his and his friends' attentions were that they had seen the striptease show Rise's shadow was in on the Midnight Channel.

"The rumour about the Midnight Channel is spreading further…" Chie murmured, looking around worriedly. "We'd better wrap this case up quick. Anyways, let's meet up later. Don't make any plans for this afternoon," Yosuke told her and Yu. The two nodded in understanding – they just needed to tell the others then.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Since there was eight of them now, the Investigation Team sat at a bigger table that was under a canopy instead of their regular table.

"Ugh… finals are next week… it's been a while since I failed any subjects…" Chie groaned at that fact. "Yeah, if by 'a while' you mean 'all the time'," Yosuke commented with a straight face.

"Sh-Shut up! Like you've ever seen my scores!"

"But Chie always has above-average marks in the subjects that she doesn't fail!" Yukiko added with a smile on her lips, which made the brunette girl a little embarrassed. "H-Hey! Why'd you tell him!? My scores just… vary! Yeah, that's it!"

Rise then laughed a little at that.

"R-Rise-chan, you too…?"

However, the idol shook her head much to the confusion of the others. She giggled as she explained herself. "Sorry… I'm not laughing at you. It's just… I thought it would take me a while to make any friends at my new school."

"Too bad we met under such awful circumstances."

"Oh yeah… what do you guys think about King Moron's case?" Yosuke asked about Mr. Morooka's murder to the others. "He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel even once."

"If this person had been inside the TV, I would've sensed it. My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can tell that much," Teddie then informed them. Chie's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. "But they found the body on a foggy day again, right? They said on the news that that crime scene was just the way it was for that announcer and Saki-senpai."

Now the three of them just looked puzzled.

"I really wonder about the culprit's motives… why was Mr. Morooka targeted?" Yukiko said, bringing the question of why their previous homeroom teacher was chosen as a target this time. "Hope it wasn't personal, 'cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts," Kanji then commented. He had a good point… yet Rise didn't seem to buy the 'motive' theory, saying, "But didn't you say it's people who get famous on TV who are targeted? If the killer's choosing targets by watching TV, I picture him as someone who doesn't know the victims at all. I don't think it's worth trying to figure out motives for that type. There are too many people who hold grudges against you for no reason, even if you've never met them before."

Chie glanced at the dark brunette girl with some pity. "Haha… you sound like you speak from experience, Rise-chan… but with King Moron, he didn't appear on the Midnight Channel or the regular TV…" She sighed, shaking her head. "Urgh… I don't get this at all!"

"Man, two victims in a row from our school… that's gotta set off the police's alarm bells. They're not gonna leave any stones at school unturned," Kanji muttered – he could definitely see how chaotic the school is going to be with the police.

"Y'know, to be honest…" Yosuke spoke up, getting the attention of the others. "Somewhere deep inside, I thought maybe King Moron was the killer…" he admitted, which surprised Chie and Yukiko. He continued on. "The news says that he was the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case. And I've heard him say more than once that so-and-so deserves to die… but now… I feel bad that I doubted him. He was a capital-A asshole, but that doesn't justify killing him… and not just King Moron… I feel sorry for all the victims… I can't forgive the killer, no matter what!" He said that with such fierceness in his eyes…

Everyone fell silent for a few moments, until Chie said something. "Well, we'll do what we can, for King Moron's sake too! At this rate, you have to figure that the killer has something to do with the school, right? So why don't we split up and—" She was interrupted by a familiar sounding voice.

"That won't be necessary."

A blue-haired boy walked to the front of the table, gaining the attention of the team. It was Naoto Shirogane, the detective Yu and some of them had met back at the tofu shop the other day. Kanji's eyes widened at the sight of him. "Y-You…"

"There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further."

"Wh-why's that?" Chie asked.

"Apparently, the police has found a suspect. It would be best to let them handle the case from here."

Everyone stared at Naoto in surprise.

"H-How do you know…?" Yosuke then hesitantly asked the detective. "I'm on this case as a special investigator, by request of the prefectural police," Naoto responded in a serious tone. This got the brunette boy to stand up in shock. "What?!"

"They found a suspect…!? Who is it!?" Chie inquired the blue-haired boy.

"As to his name, I haven't been informed. I do know… that he is a high schooler." Naoto revealed that to the team, shocking them further. "It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quite confident that this boy is the killer… they have testimonies directly linking him with the incident. I expect it's only a matter of time before he is apprehended. Soon, this case will be solved, and your town will once again be its peaceful, rustic self."

"The suspect… is a high schooler…?" Yosuke muttered that, letting that fact seep in. He eventually sat back down, his arms crossed. "All right… so why come tell us? That's confidential info, right? Why run right here and spill it?"

"Your 'game' will soon reach its end. I felt I should at least let you know that."

Yu frowned at the detective's words. "…It's not a game to us." It was a matter of life and death to the victims… why would they think of it as a _game_?

"You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourselves in the matter? Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further."

"A game…? Aren't you the one who thinks of this as a game?" Rise questioned Naoto, who was taken aback by her words. She continued to tell the blue-haired boy off. "I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth… all you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about us? You're the one who's playing a game here."

"One of the victims… she meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game?" Yosuke added – he was still grieving for the death of Saki Konishi, after all... searching and thwarting the killer was the only way he could avenge her now. "Plus…" He glanced at Teddie. "We made a promise…"

Teddie looked at the brunette boy in surprise. "Y-Y-Yosuke…"

Naoto seemed to contemplate their words with a small smile. "A game… that may be quite true…"

Chie was a bit confused at the sudden change of heart. "Wh-Why so understanding all of a sudden…?" she asked the detective. Yosuke smiled knowingly at Naoto. "Oh, I get it. I was wondering why you'd be wandering around like this when the police have a suspect… what, did they get rid of you now that they have their man? Is that why you came here? You were lonely?"

"Detectives normally aren't involved with arrests. And we never harbour any special emotions regarding a case, either. Still…" Naoto's smile fell as his gaze turned serious again. "It is rather unfortunate that people are only attentive so long as our services are required… but then, I'm accustomed to it."

Throughout all this, Kanji was still silent as he seemed to stare at Naoto. Yu had noticed the way the blonde boy was looking at the detective. Somehow, it left a sour taste in his mouth… alongside a feeling of his chest being twisted tight, almost like he couldn't breathe the longer he watched. Tearing his gaze away from it, he merely gripped the hem of his shirt tightly while keeping a calm expression on his face. He didn't know why he felt like this, but… there's something about that look on Kanji's face that was… making him feel… he didn't know what to _call_ it.

 He forced himself to focus back on the conversation at hand.

"Much about this case was perplexing, but its solution was surprisingly simple… well then, I'll be going now." Naoto then left, leaving the team to think about his words. Chie was a little uneasy. "What was that about…? He just said his piece and left…?" she murmured, becoming quiet for a moment. "…He said they have a suspect… but is this really gonna solve everything?"

Yosuke could only sigh. "Who knows…"

…In the end, they all decided to call it a day.

* * *

 

Since the only thing the team could do now was wait, Yu had nothing better to do but to just do what he normally did when waiting for a victim to recover.

Tuesday was quite uneventful as it rained the whole day… though Yu did spend his free time studying with Yukiko. Wednesday cleared up by the time school ended, so he decided to go out and see if he could find the guy for the request on the ema. Going to the shopping district, he eventually noticed a haggard man standing in front of a closed shop, looking melancholic. He stared at the shop, seeing the sign on it – it seemed to be a toys shop.

"…Isn't this a great-looking shop?"

The silver-haired boy glanced at the man who began to talk to him.

"My grandfather started this shop… and I closed it down. Nowadays, kids don't make models… if they want toys, Junes has a much bigger selection. I can't compete." The man spoke dejectedly. "…A long time ago, kids used to come in here and show off the models they'd built, comparing to see who was best. The store was so lively. Ah, those were the days…" He then sighed and stared off into the distance… perhaps he's the one who wrote the ema request.  Yu recalled that the request spoke of 'wanting to find something to live for'…

"I feel sorry for the toys that still remain in the store… I want them to be completed, but it'd be even more pathetic if they had to be constructed by me. The models would be happier if a young kid like you made them…" said the man in a murmur, seeming despondent now.

The silver-haired teenager wondered if assembling one of those models will restore this man's will to live… "Want me to make one?"

The man looked at him in surprise. "Huh? W-Would you do that? Do you have model paint at your place? You need clippers? Do you use putty!? What about detail pens…?" He was clearly excited about the prospect of this teenager building a model for him. He soon took a box with an unfinished model inside to give to Yu. "Here, you can have this! Please show it to me when you're done!"

"I will, sir." Yu nodded. He could start assembling it on the table in his room whenever he had time… though it'll definitely take a while. Excusing himself, he began heading back to school – he recalled that Yukiko had asked if he could spend some time with her back during lunchtime…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yukiko brought Yu to the grocery department in Junes as she had to pick up some things there.

"I wrote down everything I need, so this shouldn't take that long," Yukiko told him. Yu smiled casually at her. "Gotten any better yet?" he asked. This made the black-haired girl blush slightly as she smiled sheepishly, averting her gaze from the boy. "That's… I hope so." Her smile fell when she turned to face Yu though. "I'm studying the basics of the basics. But it's not turning out quite like it does in the book, even though I'm following the directions."

"Just keep practicing, then. You'll get it." Yu could clearly see that she wanted to learn this for herself – it went beyond just being able to cook. Yukiko nodded in response. "Yes. Practice makes perfect. I think there's no point unless I do it alone… our cooks help me out all the time. At first they just give me advice, but eventually they take the knife from me. So even if the meal turns out wonderfully, it doesn't mean anything that way… I told them to leave me alone, but they still stay and watch." She seemed thoughtful... "Are they that worried about my cooking…?"

Does she not realise how much the people who work at the inn care for her from how they act…? Yu had to at least say that. "Yukiko, they care about you." There's no doubting that from what she said.

This surprised the black-haired girl. "They care about… me? Do… do you really think so?" She seemed happy despite the look on her face. "Last time, the head chef took the knife from me, shouting, 'I can't stand to watch anymore!' and made the rest. The waitress saw it and said to the head chef, 'Yuki-chan wants to make it herself, even if it's awful…'." She then smiled, giggling. "Before I knew it, I was 'studying how to cook for a boy I like'… my parents got involved and it exploded from there… funny, isn't it?"

For a moment, her cheeks were dusted pink. "But… maybe it wasn't all a lie." After a few seconds of silence, she looked at Yu with a soft smile as the colour in her cheeks grew a deeper red. "T-Taste my food again, okay…?"

Anxiousness gripped Yu's heart as he forced himself to smile, nodding in response. He could feel a faint hint of love from the girl in front of him… which resulted in the _Priestess Social Link_ growing stronger. If Yukiko was really falling for him… well, crap. He hadn't intended to make her fall for him the more he hung out with her…

Yukiko eventually broke her gaze away to look at the shopping cart. "Ummm… oh yeah, shopping!" She just remembered why there were here again, so the silver-haired boy helped her with her shopping before walking home partway together.

This is going to get complicated if this is how his Social Links with the girls he knew went.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Yu went for his part-time job in the hospital again.

He had just finished cleaning the windows in the hallways when he noticed the old lady in mourning garb standing a bit further down. He somehow managed to keep calm regardless of the strange and somewhat frightening sight of seeing her there. The old lady in black took a few steps forward, getting closer but not too close. "Good evening... I'm sorry about what happened last time, when I was staring at your face. You just... you looked like someone I knew." She smiled gently at the silver-haired boy as she greeted him. "Do you work here?"

"Only part-time, ma'am…" Yu answered her, his voice slightly muffled by the mask he wore.

"My, is that so. That's wonderful... I have a granddaughter about your age... she went back home today, though... thinking about it... meeting you here is a wonder..."

The teenager raised an eyebrow at that. Why is meeting him here a wonder…?

"But I won't be coming back here anymore..." The old lady told him. Yu had so many questions to ask her out of curiosity, but this wasn't the right time and place to be doing so. "Then… we should meet again," he suggested.

"Haha... this isn't a big town; we might run into each other eventually. I like to take in the sun at the riverbank when I have days off. The river sparkles so beautifully... it all feels so good, it saddens me." The old lady fell silent after that, before chuckling again. "…Haha, I'll be going now." She slowly walked past the silver-haired teenager, leaving the place.

Yu watched her as she left, letting the old lady's words ring in his head. Maybe on sunny days, he could try to find her by the riverbank… he then turned his gaze back into the darkness of the hallway and noticed someone exiting a room, dressed in a nurse attire – he soon realised that it was Sayoko. The nurse started walking towards him. "Oh, here you are. Talk about timing! The room over there needs some work done in it. Perhaps you could...?" She just shook her head after saying that. "...Oh, whatever, just get in there."

She pointed at a door that belonged to another room. Wonder what she wants him to do?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu ended up having to clean the room, which was his job anyway… but to be ordered by Sayoko to do that was kind of surprising.

"Okay, everything's back in order. The patient who had been in this room left just a little while ago. I want you to mop the floor," Sayoko told the teenager. She was quiet for a few seconds before continuing. "...Don't ask what happened here."

The silver-haired boy just blinked once. "…Okay." He can't really see what's wrong with the room, though… but he won't question it.

His response made the nurse laugh, however. "Oho, I was just kidding. The patient who was here was released today. He returned right from the brink of death!" She smiled mischievously at him. "He was a good patient, who always listened to what I said. Plus, he was the president of his company at a young age. He was handsome, didn't complain, and independent. He wanted to get back to his work... desperately. And, thanks to his perseverance, he was able to leave even earlier than we had scheduled to release him. 'Thank you for caring for me,' he said, bowing to me so happily... then he turned around and walked out. He said such stupid things, like that he loved me."

Sayoko looked down at the floor, her voice suddenly low and emotionless in spite of the smile on her lips. "...Everyone leaves. They only need me when they're my patients... in the end, they all leave me."

It was strange to hear that out of her. "That's just how it is," Yu commented, seeing where she was coming from. That's how the jobs of doctors and nurses are… they are only needed when the patients are in a dire state. If that's how she felt about it, then she must be quite bothered by it. Sayoko merely shrugged at his words. "This, coming from a kid...?" She pondered on her words, then spoke once more. "...I must not have been making sense. Forget about what I was saying. I'll ask another janitor to handle this room. You go on home. The streets are dark... you shouldn't be here." She gave Yu a faint smile. "You wouldn't want to get caught... by me."

At that moment, Yu realised that he just saw a bit of Sayoko's inner self. With that knowledge, the _Devil Social Link_ became stronger…

"Nice work." Sayoko smiled at him before leaving the room.

After all that, Yu went ahead to finish the rest of his tasks before going back home, receiving his pay for the night in the meanwhile.

* * *

 

Thursday was a clear day unlike yesterday.

Yu was almost surprised to see Kanji approaching him during lunchtime – the blonde boy seemed aggressive as he asked if Yu had free time in the afternoon… which he did. Kanji then told him that he had an 'appointment' with the young kid that lost his doll that day, which was why he asked. The silver-haired boy relaxed upon hearing that, smiling.

Of course, he'll come.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two of them went to the hill overlooking town after school ended, with Kanji having called the young boy there.

"Here's the stuff I promised ya. N-No complaining, okay...?" Kanji told the kid with slight nervousness as he took out a bunny doll, giving it to the young boy. The bunny doll was complete with clothes, a ribbon, a hat and an umbrella… it's very elaborate for something that was handmade. Yu was amazed at the detail of it all – to think that this was all done by someone with great skills in knitting… he hasn't seen a person who was as good at it as Kanji was. Even the young kid felt the same about it. "Whoa!! This is incredible! Where'd you buy it!?" he asked the taller teenager.

Kanji looked at the child in surprise. "Huh...? Wh-Who cares!?"

"But I want one too!"

"Oh... well, I got one for you." The blonde teenager then handed the young kid another bunny, this time complete with clothes, shoes, a cap and a soccer ball. It was just as elaborate as the other doll.

"For me!? Thanks!! But where'd you buy it...?"

"Er…"

Yu looked at Kanji for a moment. Seeing that the blonde boy was hesitant to tell the truth… he decided to say it himself. "Well, this old man here made it," he told the kid with a small smile. Kanji's face instantly flushed red with embarrassment, his eyes wide in shock at the silver-haired boy's words. "Gaaaaaaah! What're you tellin' him for!?"

The brunette kid stared at the younger teenager. "You... made this?"

"Y-Y'got a problem with that...?" Kanji questioned him. "If ya think it's so creepy, then give it—"

However, he was cut off by the child's exclamation of amazement. "Wow! You're so cool!! Hey, can you make me something else!? Mom loves this kind of stuff!"

"Huh? S-Sure..." Kanji nodded, stunned at the young boy's excitement.

"You promised!" The kid grinned at the blonde teenager. "I'm gonna go give this to Sana-chan! Thanks, Mister!!" He soon ran off, leaving Kanji and Yu alone. The younger one of the two stared at the ground for a moment. "I'm not that old, dammit..." he muttered quietly with a shake of his head, yet a smile came to his face as he recalled the kid's words, making him chuckle. "Hah, he said I'm cool..."

"It was pretty amazing," Yu commented, smiling as well. It was nice to see the guy he liked be complimented for something he was really good at. Kanji seemed a little embarrassed at his senpai's compliment. "Yeah, but it's not like sewing's good for anything..." he said as he looked at the older boy. "But y'know... it ain't a bad feeling. 'Thanks', huh...? Ahhh, it was nothing." He then averted his gaze, an embarrassed smile on his lips. He looked more mature than usual right now…

Yu felt his cheeks warm up as he observed the blonde boy, also feeling his relationship with Kanji deepen… and with it, so did the _Emperor Social Link_.

Kanji then looked off into the distance. "…This is a great place, huh? The wind is different up here… never noticed before." The breeze on the hill was much stronger than in the city, but it had a touch of placidity as it moved past both his and Yu's forms. He looked at the silver-haired boy again and found himself staring at the sight of his senior watching the distance as well – the way the evening sunlight kissed Yu's peach skin and bathed his silver-grey hair and eyes in a pale orange shine was… mesmerising.

Then the older boy turned his head to gaze at him… and he softly smiled, looking cheerful.

…It felt like his heart skipped a beat… but that's impossible. To possibly have feelings for a _guy_ …? That'll just worsen the rumours about himself, and probably ruin Yu's reputation. Kanji could handle the former, yet the latter is something he can't have happening.

And yet, he still smiled back at the silver-haired boy, feeling a fuzzy warmth in his chest.

~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Yu returned home, he was in a daze after his time with Kanji.

He got a smile back from the blonde boy… and it just made him feel like he was walking on air at that. Throughout the walk back home, they even talked about some things together before finally parting at the road that led to the shopping district. He was unaware that he was still smiling since that very moment until Nanako pointed that out. She had just greeted him when she saw the bright smile on her cousin's face. "You look very happy, big bro!" she told him, giggling.

"Huh? Oh… do I?" The silver-haired teenager rubbed his cheek, finally noticing that he was smiling even after he parted from Kanji. "I guess I do." He chuckled sheepishly – was he ever this happy with someone's presence? He can't recall a time before he came to Inaba that he did feel like that.

Nanako smiled cheerfully at her cousin. "I went shopping today, so the fridge is full of food!" she informed him, to which he nodded in understanding. Maybe he should make some lunch again…

Setting his school bag down on a chair, he then checked the fridge to see what its contents were. The first thing he saw were some chicken wings and pieces, then a few ingredients that could go really well when fried. "Chie would definitely love this…" he murmured to himself with a snicker, deciding to cook some fried chicken as he took the ingredients out of the fridge. Taking them over to the kitchen counter, he first started with the marinade before smothering the chicken with it.

Now he needed to use something to cover the chicken in… potato starch would do wonderfully for that. Once the chicken was marinated enough and covered in potato starch, he fried them in hot oil. He smiled in satisfaction upon hearing the crackling sound of the chicken frying in the oil; the result being some crispy fried chicken. He put it in a container that he regularly used as his lunch box before storing them somewhere for the night. He might as well spend time with Chie if she was free tomorrow.

They all still had to wait until more progress was made in the investigation… for now, the case was out of their hands.


	29. School Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There doesn't seem to be any progress yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I only got a few words for this chapter: SOCIAL LINK GO!
> 
> Oh, and maybe a dash of that weird guy appearing.

The next day, Yu did share his lunch with Chie as he promised last night. She obviously enjoyed it, even saying that she never tasted something this delicious before. After a moment, she asked if he made this for her with a reddish colour in her cheeks… and he admitted that he did. She thanked him, smiling happily. Although the silver-haired boy didn’t let it show, he felt a bit troubled by the turn of events. He's unintentionally making Chie fall for him… how was he going to handle rejecting her if she dared to confess?

That's something he didn't want to think about at the moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yu went to the flood plains with Chie to do some training.

"In the movie I watched the other day, this guy knocked down a tree using only his leg!" Chie told him about something she had seen. "How does someone kick that hard...? Just practice?" She was just about to wonder about it when a familiar voice called from behind her.

"Ch-Chie!"

She turned her head to see who it was. "…Oh, hey Takeshi..." It was her old school friend who they tried to save from some punks the other day… but Takeshi ran away like a coward early on. Yu definitely still remembered that day – it also served as a sour reminder of who he used to be back in junior high school. "W-Were you robbed again?"

Takeshi shook his head. "No... I took off right after that, right? So I thought I'd apologize..."

"…Why don't you be a man and admit you ran away?"

"Wh-What...? Were you this anal before? Tch, if you lose that sunny attitude, you won't have anything left."

"...Shut up!"

"Speaking of which... what's up with Yukiko-san? I saw her with you the other day... she seemed weirdly cheerful... she had this funky laugh, y'know...?"

"That funky laugh... that's how she really is."

"Oh, you've rubbed off on her, huh? I can't believe it... that's not Yukiko-san... she was better gloomy..."

Chie could only sigh quietly at the brunette boy's words. "…Look. If you get into trouble again, I'll step in and help."

"...Huh? Oh, uh... thanks..."

"So why don't you shut your mouth about Yukiko!? You don't know anything about her! She's a good person, got it!?" Chie then suddenly yelled at Takeshi, which took him by surprise. "Wh-what the hell?" Takeshi left after the brunette girl's outburst, leaving Chie to watch him leave her and Yu alone.

A silence fell among the two after that, until Chie spoke up quietly, her back to the silver-haired boy. "I just remembered... way back, I saw Yukiko sitting by the road, holding a dog. I asked her what's up and she said she ran away from home... she'd picked up the dog, but her parents told her she couldn't have a pet, and that she'd have to get rid of it... she looked like she was dead or something... I tried everything I could think of to make her laugh. And that's how we became friends..."

She turned around to face Yu, a regretful expression on her face. "From that moment on... I told myself I'd protect Yukiko... but... somewhere along the way, I messed up, and that Shadow popped out... after that, I thought I'd try to focus on what's good about me. I swore to quit being nothing but the girl Yukiko can rely on... so... I just tried my best. At finding the culprit and stuff... just generally being more reliable... that's all." She paused for a moment, pondering on her own words. "…I feel like I missed the point..."

"Well… it's hard to face yourself." Yu could understand where she was coming from. Even he had his own secrets and demons, and it's difficult to face those and admit that they were a part of him… or at least, _used_ to be him. His time as a delinquent, his despair in his younger years… they're just things he wanted to forget now. Although he never wanted to be a leader again after what happened two years ago, he will be one, just to solve this case for his friends' sake.

"Is it like that for you, too?" Chie asked him in surprise. She was speechless for a moment when she realised something. "Are you trying to cheer me up?" she asked him, smiling happily with her cheeks dusted red. However, her smile soon fell as she averted her gaze to the ground. "I wonder if there's anyone out there... who can say, 'This is what makes me worthwhile!'. I guess everyone's looking for it..." she murmured. Nonetheless, she was able to take a step forward and face herself…

…Their relationship has grown deeper with the _Chariot Social Link_.

A smile came to Chie's lips again as she lifted her head to look at the silver-haired boy. "Oh yeah... that dog Yukiko picked up? It's gotten really fat at my place. Come by and see it sometime! It smells, but it's cute!" Her cheeks flushed slightly again. "...Maybe I'll walk it over to your house."

"Perhaps." Yu hesitantly smiled back at her. The more he spent time with her, the more he could see her emotions seep through her words… he had to act casual for the time being as they both eventually went home while talking about various things.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once Yui arrived back home, she decided to start building up the model she got from the guy that made the ema request. As she entered his room, her cell phone rang up… so she answered. "Hello, Yu Narukami speaking."

_"Um, hey, this is Kou. Wanna study together next Sunday? I'll drag Daisuke along too. Sound good?"_

Oh… it was Kou. Yui recalled that her _Strength Social Link_ was already at its strongest… but another day with him and Daisuke wouldn't hurt. "Yeah, okay."

_"Alright! Don't forget."_

The call ended there.

Seems like she just made plans for this Sunday… well, she'll remember that. For now, she had a model to start assembling.

* * *

 

Saturday was a rainy day.

As Yu was about to enter the school, he heard Chie's voice from behind him. He saw her catch up to him at the gates, greeting him. "Oh, Yu-kun. Morning."

"Good morning, Chie." The silver-haired boy nodded.

"Hey, that guy the police are after… I wonder what he's like. How's the investigation going? I can't stop worrying about it. Speaking of worrying about things… we have tests coming up next week…" She sighed, a troubled look on her face. "But I can't study when I'm thinking about our investigation!"

"Focus! The exams should be your priority for now," Yu told her. Their studies are just as important as solving the case – wouldn't want to get stuck in summer school like their new homeroom teacher had informed them.

"Ugh… I guess you're right… how am I supposed to argue with that…?"

The two of them then entered school while talking about other things…

~*~*~*~*~*~

For today, Yu called everyone in the team to the food court at Junes – they're going into the TV world to see if there's any new shadows occupying the strip club where Rise's shadow was while also getting some training in. The only thing everyone didn't expect when they did enter there was to see Teddie in his original bear form again… "Why the long faces?! What's the matter? Cheer up, guys!" Teddie told them, noticing the looks on some of the others' faces. Rise then called for Yu's attention. "Hey, Senpai!"

The silver-haired boy looked at her. "Yes, Rise…?"

"I'm sensing a powerful Shadow in the direction of the strip club. It reads the same as an ordinary Shadow, so I don't think it's related to the incidents… but if you're bored, why not go defeat it for fun?"

"Hm, maybe that's what we'll do today." Yu nodded at that. For now, he'll have to fuse his Personas to get ready for the trek up to the top floor of the strip club. Maybe he could even finish up Margaret's request in the meantime.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the Velvet Room, Yu managed to fuse a Matador with Mahama as per Margaret's request… and she noticed it.

"Ah, Matador… and he has Mahama… you have successfully completed the quest… what a beautiful Persona… this fascinating dance, performed by a true sportsman… I'm amazed. You're still young, but you hold such beauty within your soul…" Margaret gave the silver-haired boy a knowing but gentle smile. "Thank you. I am strongly confident that you are the one I've been searching for. I want to see more of your soul."

For a moment, Yu wondered why he could sense that shrewd look in her eyes – it's almost like the one he saw in Mrs. Tatsumi's own eyes before revealing that she could see through his act. Is it possible that Margaret knew who he was… and was just playing with him the last time he completed her request? He'll never know the answer unless he asked her himself, but for now, their relationship has grown a little deeper with the _Empress Social Link_.

The gentle smile on Margaret's face soon fell as her expression turned serious. "Well then… for my next request… bring me a Gdon that knows Rampage. If anyone can do this for me, it's you. I eagerly await your return."

Nodding in response, Yu then excused himself to leave. A Gdon that knows Rampage… he'll need to think about how to fuse that Persona… and probably some time away because he couldn't shake off the chills he got when he saw that look in the platinum blonde woman's gaze.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The team soon headed to the strip club to get rid of the Shadow that now resided there – now that Rise was on the team, she was able to tell much more about the shadows there like the skills they had. Teddie's Persona was a great ice elemental user so they decided to bring him along for his first run as a frontline attacker. Once arriving there, they began their journey up the eleven floors of the dungeon's pink techno nightmare again… at least this time, they were prepared for what lies ahead of them.

Eventually, they did reach the top floor again.

"This feeling…" Rise sensed something from beyond the curtains covering the giant doorway. "I sense a Shadow behind that door! Are you ready for it?" she alerted the frontline fighters of the team before asking. Yu then looked at Teddie, Kanji and Chie who he had chosen as his teammates for the battle ahead. "You guys ready?"

The three teenagers nodded in response, so the silver-haired boy stepped towards the curtains and raised them up, letting them run into the room. On the stage was what looked like a Blooming Bambino, except… well, giant. So this was the powerful shadow… but they can't underestimate it, of course.

"Don't let me down, Senpai! Show me your skills!" Rise cheered Yu on, getting a nod from him as he and the others started their battle against the huge Shadow.

~*~*~*~*~*~

This Shadow wasn't too difficult like the last two – it had a weakness to ice, so they exploited that weakness to inflict even bigger damage by doing an all-out attack after every Bufu spell which downed it. Once enough damage was done, the Shadow exploded into darkness that dissipated into nothing. After it was gone, Yu went to see if there was anything of interest inside the room… and he did, finding a Bear Claw weapon behind the stage which would do well for Teddie.

"Hey, Teddie?" he called the bear over. Teddie approached him, all smiles like usual. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Here, I got something for you. " Yu gave him the new weapon which he had a feeling was much stronger than the one Teddie had on right now. The bear was excited at the thought of receiving something from the silver-haired boy, what else a whole new weapon. "Wowee! Thanks, Sensei!" He took off the mace-like weapon on his hand and slipped on the new weapon, trying it out with a few swings. "It's so much better!" he told the teenager, who smiled in response.

Now that they’ve defeated the Shadow in this place, they could go back to the real world since they already got some training in.

* * *

 

When Sunday came along, Yu had recalled that he promised Kou that he'll go study with him and Daisuke today… so he went out after he got dressed and met up with the two at the food court in Junes. Once they were all gathered, they sat at one of the bigger tables so they could study together.

Kou seemed a little frustrated. "Check this out, Yu… I borrowed Daisuke's notes for those days I was absent. Here's the one he gave me, and right across the top, it says 'Aljebra 1'…" he told the silver-haired boy as he showed him the notes. He then glared at Daisuke. "Dude, how long has it been since we passed Algebra 1? And learn how to spell!"

"Hey, don't borrow notes if you're gonna complain about 'em," Daisuke merely retorted, which made his best friend sigh. "Fine, next time I'll know better…" Kou muttered, his shoulders slumping. "I'm ready for the tests in every subject except math…" He then looked at Yu. "…You any good at math, Yu?"

Yu just smiled jokingly at him. "You can 'count' on me." He's a damn hypocrite right now, but that pun was too cheesy to pass up on. Kou stared at him in surprise at that response. "Really? Wow, I gotta give you props for that… I can memorise the formulas well enough to pass, but I'll never understand math…" he admitted, shaking his head dejectedly. Daisuke then spoke up. "Forget math. I need major help with world history, physics, English…"

Kou simply gave the brunette boy an exasperated look. "...You're hopeless, Daisuke."

As the trio kept chatting, a pair of girls noticed them there… it was Chie and Yukiko.

"Wow, hey you guys," Chie said, gaining their attention as she and Yukiko approached the table. "Are you all going to study? Think we can tag along?" she asked them. Kou smiled at the idea. "Oh, really? For sure! The more the merrier!"

Yukiko smiled too. "Thank you so much."

"S-sure, n-no problem…" Kou stuttered when he saw the smile the black-haired girl gave him. Chie definitely didn't miss that little act, commenting on it. "Ooooh, so you're one of those guys in the Yukiko fan club." She did an indignant huff and lifted her head while Kou shook his head in denial, shocked at her words. "Wh-whaaat? N-no, it's not like that…"

Chie then smiled cheekily at Kou, waving a finger. "Don't worry, I'll just ask Yu to help me."

"Yeah, me too," Daisuke added, looking at the silver-haired boy sitting next to him with a grin. Kou tried to say something. "H-hey, wait just a minute here!"

…Well, they had some fun anyway. Besides, they got some studying in before finals next week.

* * *

 

Monday was Ocean Day, so there was no school for that day… and finals would begin tomorrow.

Despite that, Yu decided to go out because he had done enough studying yesterday and wanted to loosen up before he had to face pages and pages of papers for the exams. He went down to the shopping district only to notice Yukiko standing by the book store, so he went to go greet her. "Hey, Yukiko."

"Oh, Yu-kun." Yukiko smiled once she noticed him there. "I heard this rumour that people have been seeing a ghost… they say an old woman wearing black appears on the riverbank… but what's funny is that she appears on holidays during the day. That's odd, isn't it?" She giggled after telling him that. "I'd like to see her."

"An old woman, huh?" Yu wondered if it's that lady in mourning garb he saw back in the hospital… he'll have to check another day then. "Say, wanna hang out today?" he then asked her. Yukiko brightened up at the offer, smiling. "Oh, sure."

"Well, where do you want to go…?"

"Um... can we go to the shrine down the road? I want to pay my respects."

The silver-haired boy nodded in agreement, and so to the shrine they went.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Yukiko paid her respects, they sat on the stairs for a small chat.

"I come here every so often. It's nice and quiet… I visit here with the waitresses, too. Like before a big guest arrives. We make our annual hatsumode visits here. The exam charm was here, too…" Yukiko murmured before sighing. "Once I leave this town… I won't be able to come here again, will I…?" she wondered wistfully.

Yu raised an eyebrow at the sudden drop of mood. "…You're not coming back?"

"I mean… I couldn't face my parents again…" The black-haired girl looked sad as she stared at ground, nodding slowly. Then, the sound of footsteps approaching them made her lift her head to see a kimono-clad woman walking towards them. She stood up quickly, recognizing who it was. The woman seemed to know her too. "Oh, Yuki-chan!"

"Kasai-san… what are you doing here?" asked Yukiko to the lady.

"Taking a little break after ordering from the liquor store." The kimono-clad woman then sighed. "So now you know."

"O-Oh, I won't tell…"

"Hahaha, just kidding." The lady then saw Yu sitting on the stairs, smiling as a thought crossed her mind. "Oh! Is that the rumoured boyfriend? I see… that hard work in the kitchen paid off, huh?"

That made Yukiko's cheeks darken into a deep shade of red. "I-It's not like that!!"

"Wow, your face is burning red. Well, I'll let you two be alone!" The kimono-clad woman then left, leaving the two by the stairs. Yukiko glanced at Yu as an awkward silence fell among them both before looking away in embarrassment, her face still red as a tomato. "Sh-Sheesh… I-I'm sorry about that. Oh, that was one of our waitresses. They all have the wrong idea… I'm really sorry…" she kept apologising for it. Although it did made Yu a bit uncomfortable, he wasn't too bothered by it… as long as no one started confessing their feelings to him, he'll be fine. "It's okay."

"…Thank goodness." Yukiko seemed to have broken out in a cold sweat as she smiled in relief. "Kasai-san is teaching me how to cook, along with the other waitresses and chefs. I said I'd learn on my own, but I kept messing up… I burnt myself a couple of times… 'Please let us teach you,' they said." She giggled as she told him of her experience. "It's usually the other way around, you know? They use up their break time for my lessons… they're so nice to me… when I was halfway successful one time, everyone gathered around and taste-tested it, saying how good it was… I didn't know what to say… I was just happy…" She looked up at the sky, smiling softly. "Plus, I have my friends at school… all things considered, I'm pretty lucky… I want to do my best… for everyone's sake…"

From the smile on the black-haired girl's face, Yu could sense a quiet passion in it… and in a way, he felt like he could understand her even more now - as a result, the _Priestess Social Link_ grew even stronger as well. But that smile didn't last long as Yukiko looked down at the stone path, looking guilty. "But I'm trying to leave… betraying those who've been kind to me… I… can't help that, I suppose…"

The silver-haired boy could only stare at her in silence, knowing how she felt. How he sometimes wished to leave to another place, to escape from his family's control over his life… but there was no escape for him. There was no place in Japan left for him to hide, unlike the girl next to him whose life as the Amagi Inn's future manager was merely in Inaba. She already had her own future planned out for herself despite her own guilt.

He himself didn't know his future… and he wished he could have that same courage Yukiko had in her to leave.

…Eventually, they both walked partway home together after hanging out with each other a little longer.

* * *

 

Four days of exams passed like clockwork, and Yu was able to answer the questions with ease even on the final day of the exams, which were usually the subjective and essay questions. He felt like he did even better this time…

After school ended, he and his friends of the same class began to chat.

Yosuke stretched his arms, a huge grin on his face. "It's allll over!" He yawned, now looking really exhausted. "I'm sooo sleepy…" he muttered with a slight slur. Chie glared at him. "Yuck! Don't yawn in my face like that!" she yelled at the brunette boy before looking at Yukiko. "Hey, for the third question on the English test, which phrase did you choose?" she asked her. Yukiko tried to remember what she answered for that question. "Um… I went with 'used to'."

A shocked look crossed the brunette girl's face. "Wrong again…"

"So much for Chie going abroad. Heck, why leave Inaba? You have so much right here!" Yosuke commented, which infuriated Chie. "Ooooh, you're so annoying!" she said with gritted teeth. As she said that, Yosuke noticed Kanji and Rise approaching them with heavy steps.

"Yo…" Kanji greeted in an unenergetic way. Rise was no better. "No more encores… I mean… hi everyone…"

"Whoa, more losers!?" Yosuke was somewhat surprised to see them this way.

"What do I need to know English for!? I can always ask for a translator!" Rise complained with a huff. She then looked at Yu with a smile. "How did you do, Senpai?"

"Hm? Oh… I think it went well." Yu was confident enough that he wouldn't fail, at the very least. He wasn't going to put his hopes up that much. Either way, it got Rise in awe of the silver-haired boy's smartness. "Wow, you're amazing…"

Kanji looked almost like he could groan out in frustration. "Enough about the exams already… what's going on with the murder case?" he asked in a mutter. This made Yosuke smile as an idea came to his mind, so he suggested it to the others. "Hm… why don't we head to our special headquarters? We haven't been there in a while."

Rise seemed confused at what he meant, so the team decided to just show her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They sat at one of the regular tables in the food court at Junes this time, getting an extra chair for Rise to sit in.

"I'm kinda bummed…" Chie admitted to the others. "Not just because exams are over, but… the whole thing with the police finding a suspect. I mean, we believed that only we could solve this case. And now…"

Yosuke sighed, understanding how she felt. "Well, we still don't know yet. They haven't made an arrest."

"So… we gotta sit on our thumbs," Kanji said, pretty much summarising the only thing they could do now.

Everyone fell quiet for a moment, feeling useless as they couldn't do a single thing about the murder this time… hell, with the detectives available in Inaba, the case would _certainly_ be solved quick. Their attention soon went to a familiar face walking by the food court – it was Adachi, Dojima's partner. "For crying out loud… it's nice to have a suspect, but where the hell is he? We're at the end of our rope here…" He seemed frustrated as he said those words, which the team of teenagers didn't miss.

Adachi eventually realised that he was in earshot of the teenagers sitting at the table. "Y-You guys!? D-Did you hear what I said?" He quickly put on a grin, trying to act like he didn't just say that the suspect wasn't caught yet. "Ah… ahahaha! This case is as good as solved! Don't worry, kids. It's only a matter of time before we bring in the suspect. I mean, the guy's kidnapping people at random and slaughtering them! We won't rest until we bring him to justice!" Yet the only response he got was silence… "I-I gotta get going!" he told them before walking away quickly.

Really, is there _any_ competent policeman or detective that can solve crimes here? Other than that Naoto guy? Yu was starting to have a feeling that the answer to that question would be 'no'…

"Now I'm REALLY worried…" Yosuke muttered with a shake of his head. "On the other hand… if the police have a search warrant out for the guy, we should stay out of it."

"Yeah…" Kanji nodded sullenly.

Everyone except Rise lowered their heads again… the dark brunette girl looked at the others, then she spoke up. "Oh, uh, I just remembered. There was a question on the exam that I didn't get. I think it was, 'The chemical formula HCHO, used for silver mirror reactions. Its 40% solution is known as formalin'. And the question was, 'What is HCHO?'"

"It's formaldehyde," Yu answered her. Chemistry has always been an interesting subject to study alongside a few other subjects. The other subjects, he just forced himself to study them for his grades' sake.

"Oh, I see. I chose acetic acid… duh, of course it couldn't have been vinegar." The idol looked at Kanji who sat in another chair near her. "Hey, you had that question too, didn't you, Kanji?"

"Shut up. And don't call me by my first name." Kanji seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Wow, kinda harsh, aren't you? I heard you got a nosebleed when you were around our senpai."

Now that shocked the blonde boy. "H-Hey! Who the hell blabbed about that!?"

"A-Anyways!" Chie tried to change the subject. It was probably her who told Rise about it… "Rise-chan, why don't you ask Yukiko to help you study?" she suggested to the dark brunette girl. Rise seemed not so sure about it. "Huh? I guess, but wouldn't you rather ask a senpai of the opposite sex?" She then looked at Yu, putting on puppy eyes to garner the silver-haired boy's attention. "Senpai… I'm not a nuisance to you, am I?"

"Er…" Yu wasn't sure on how to exactly answer the idol's question, feeling quite awkward now that he was suddenly put on the spot. The others except Rise were surprised at how undaunting Rise was, directly asking that question to the leader of the team. Chie was especially taken aback at the dark brunette girl's question. "Damn… this girl's dangerous…!" she murmured, watching as Rise gave Yu a cute and somewhat flirtatious smile, much to everyone's shock. At the sight of that, Kanji felt his chest tighten… gritting his teeth with his mouth still closed, he shook his head to ignore it.

Why the hell is he feeling like this? For a guy that looked… kind of like a girl too?

"L-Let's change the subject." Chie spoke up, smiling nervously. She remembered that Teddie wasn't at the table… "Hey, any idea how Teddie's doing?" she asked Yosuke.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it to you. Check this out." Yosuke grinned and looked over to the side, letting everyone else follow his gaze… to reveal that Teddie was actually just nearby in his bear suit, holding a bunch of floating balloons and giving a few to children. When the bear noticed that the team was sitting at a table there, he waved at them cheerfully. Yosuke turned his gaze back to the others, still grinning. "I let him stay at my place. In return, he's now our official store mascot."

The new topic was a good distraction for Kanji as he smiled despite the pain in his chest, realising the idea the brunette boy had. "Aaah! So he's hiding in plain sight. Reverse psychology, huh? Man… he looks like one happy bear…"

"He kept saying that he didn't wanna go back. So I made him a deal. Now, since I've got nothing better to do… I'm gonna go bug him."

Chie perked up at that. "Oooh, I wanna go too!"

"C-Can I… feel his soft fur…?" Kanji was getting excited at the idea of possibly feeling Teddie's fur for once.

Everyone got up from their seats to go approach the bear, though Yu and Rise got up a little later than the others. As the silver-haired boy was about to follow them, he heard the dark brunette girl's voice from behind him. "Hey, Senpai?"

"Hm?" Yu turned around to face her.

"Now that I'm getting the hang of school, I want to go out more and see the sights. But I tend to get recognized everywhere I go, so I'm a little nervous about going out on my own… and you seem like the type of guy who knows all the cool spots in town…" Rise trailed off, as if waiting for a response. Yu couldn't bring himself to reject her, even if she tended to flirt openly to him. "…Sure, I'll show you around."

"Really? Woohoo!" The idol cheered happily, her natural, easy friendliness being sensed by Yu. In that moment, he could feel a faint bond forming between the two of them… which resulted in the formation of the _Lovers Social Link_ of the _Lovers Arcana_.

…Lovers? Now he hoped that he wasn't going to end up in a mess of emotions in the future.

"If you ever have some time to kill, think of me, okay?" Rise told him. "Now c'mon, let's go pester Teddie." She looked at the bear and called him. "Teddieeee! Heeeey!"

They both joined the others after that… but the fact that the murder suspect hasn't been caught is a worrying thought that remained in everyone's minds.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, the news spoke about the serial murder case and how the police have yet to announce any progress in the investigation – in short, there was no new information about the suspect.

Nanako was getting quite worried about it. "They still haven't caught him?"

Yu noticed the look on his cousin's face and began to feel protective of her. "Don't worry Nanako… I'll protect you." That was a promise he intended to keep. Better he save a life and many others than to lose another one… this might as well be his payment for the damage he caused back when he was a delinquent, though he was genuine in his wish to protect Nanako who was… much like a little sister to him now. His words made Nanako smile in relief, her cheeks bearing a pinkish hue to them. "Okay. You promise, right?"

"Of course… I promise."

The little girl then got up from her cushion to go sit next to her older cousin. She seemed anxious about the murder case… it made Yu feel a deep responsibility – it was now up to him and his friends to catch that murderer where others could not. It obviously risked their lives, but…

…He'll willingly die if it meant he could keep that promise.

* * *

 

Without much to do on Sunday, Yu went out to the shopping district to sell the scraps they got from the Shadows in the TV world and buy some new equipment for everyone. He eventually noticed Rise standing by the tofu shop her grandmother owned after he finished his business at the metalworks shop. He would usually be careful around girls like her, but it's not like he had a choice when there was a Social Link involved, so… he approached her. "Hey, Rise," he greeted, putting on a casual smile for the sake of it.

Rise smiled when she saw him there. "Oh, Senpai! I just finished my shift at the store. Are you free today?" she asked. Yu nodded, guessing that he could keep up his little promise on showing her the places in town. "Yeah, I'm free today."

"Ooh, okay!" The idol's happiness was visible through the vibrant smile on her lips. "Why don't we go to the food stall by that Chinese diner, Senpai? I wanna try the food there."

"The Souzai Daigaku? Sure."

~*~*~*~*~*~

So, they went to the Souzai Daigaku for a quick bite.

Rise ate quite a lot, now sitting on one of the crates that acted as a chair. "I can't take another bite. My stomach's full... but that really hit the spot! I've been wanting to come here." She was smiling as she looked at Yu. "But it's a little embarrassing to show up alone, you know?"

"Then just order takeout." The silver-haired boy just stated the easiest solution to that, but he ended up getting berated by the idol.

"How little you know, Senpai! It's the atmosphere that's important. The meal itself isn't everything, you know." Rise's voice was swelling with pride for some reason… she soon got up from the crate she sat on and went to survey the things there were being showcased at the stall. After that, she went back to Yu's side and giggled. "To tell you the truth, I've wanted to do this since I was a child. My parents were actually pretty strict." She then fell quiet, her smile falling. "…I didn't really have many friends. Though I guess that couldn't be helped, since I hardly ever showed up for school…"

Yu blinked once, realising how lonely Rise must've felt.

The dark brunette girl quickly changed the topic as she noticed how the mood has dropped. "Er, that's enough talk about that! What a depressing subject, huh? Let's talk about something fun. After all, I don't want to waste the time we have together!" She smiled again at him. "It's so great that I came to this town and met you. Really, I'm serious!" She then laughed with a natural smile on her lips.

In a way, their relationship has grown a little deeper with the _Lovers Social Link_ …

A mischievous smile then appeared on Rise lips. "Why don't I start by asking what kind of girl you like?"

Now Yu found himself dealing with the idol's barrage of questions until it became dark. He was only able to avoid answering some of them, but most of the questions he answered with lies… and very few with the truth.

He went home with a heavy heart after parting with Rise, knowing how he was merely adding heat to a flame that won't ever extinguish till the day everything about himself is revealed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

To try and get rid of the heaviness in his chest, Yu spent some time with Nanako that night. He noticed that his cousin had the paper about the survey she showed him the other day on the table…

He heard the doors of the house sliding open, followed by a familiar, deep voice. "…I'm home."

Nanako got up and went over to Dojima to greet him while trying to show him the paper. "Oh, welcome back! Um, Dad...!"

However, the detective just looked tired. "Later, Nanako..." he told her, exhaustion in his voice.

"B-But, this paper..."

Dojima sighed and went near the table, seeing the paper. "'Scheduling of Parent-Teacher Interviews'?" He scratched his head, now knowing why his daughter was nervous. "A survey, huh...?"

All this while, Nanako was silent… until she spoke up with such seriousness. "Fine. It's fine... it's fine, okay!?" she shouted with frustration. Her father looked at her with confusion as she continued yelling. "You don't have to write anything! You don't have to come! It's just another case to you, right? It's more work, isn't it? Bad people and everyone else are more important to you than me, huh!?"

Dojima didn't know what to tell her upon hearing those words, looking troubled.

"You're not 'real'..." The little girl murmured quietly. Then, she looked up at her father angrily. "You're not my 'real' Dad!"

After that outburst, she ran off even as Dojima called after her. "Na-Nanako! Wait!" The sound of the doors opening and closing just made him sigh again. "What's gotten into her...?"

Whatever it is, Yu knew that it was not a good idea to let Nanako run off outside at this time of night. "Uncle, we should go look for her," he told him as he got up. Dojima nodded strongly at that. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. Now's not the time to stand around asking questions. I'll go check Junes. Yu, you look around the shopping district! I'm counting on you!" The man rushed out of the house first, followed by the silver-haired teenager. They needed to find Nanako before something bad happened…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The shopping district was very different at night, with darkness enveloping every corner of the buildings and streets other than the pale blue glow coming from the streetlights. No matter how hard he tried to find Nanako in this place, Yu couldn’t see a hair of her anywhere… he was starting to feel worried, wondering if his cousin got into trouble somewhere. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice calling out to him from behind. "Hey, Yu!"

Turning around, the silver-haired boy saw Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko running towards him. "You guys…?" Were they here to help?

"I ran into Dojima-san at Junes, and he told me what happened," Yosuke explained to him. "You coulda just asked!" Chie added, giving Yu a pointed look. Yukiko then explained how they got here with the brunette boy. "We got a call from Yosuke-kun. I'm sure if we all look, we'll find her."

"Hey, do you know what kinda places she might've gone?" Yosuke asked his best friend, which made Yu think for a moment. A place where Nanako would go… well, she did say that her family used to go to Samegawa when her mother was still alive… that must be the place. "She might be in Samegawa. She and her parents used to go there a lot," Yu informed them.

"Samegawa...?" Yosuke nodded in understanding. "Alright. Yu, you head straight there. That's our best bet. The rest of us'll split up and look around. If anyone finds anything, give the others a ring, okay?"

The silver-haired boy nodded as well and soon ran off in the direction of the flood plains.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu arrived there, he heard his uncle's voice from behind him. He turned around to see Dojima running towards him, looking anxious. "Yu, did you find Nanako!?" he asked, to which the teenager could only shake his head solemnly. The detective sighed in worry. "Dammit... where is she...?"

Looking around, his eyes fell on the sight of a little girl sitting on the seats of the resting hut. "Nanako!"

Yu followed his uncle's gaze and noticed his cousin sitting there dejectedly. So she was here… but his uncle wasn't going over to her for some reason. Dojima lowered his head, as if a thousand thoughts were swarming in his head the longer he kept silent. Eventually he looked at Yu to ask him something, his eyes bearing a kind of sorrow in them. "Could you... talk to her?"

"What…?" The silver-haired boy was puzzled as to why the detective was asking him to go. Dojima merely sighed. "I'm not her "real father," huh...? Yu... you should go pick her up. She'll listen to you..."

"Why, uncle?" Yu didn't get the reason why Dojima just wouldn't go to Nanako and fix the things between them. It was the reason why the little girl was sad in the first place.

"You're the 'family' she trusts most right now..." The man murmured, unwilling to let his gaze meet his nephew's sharp eyes. "As long as Nanako is okay... I'm fine… please." Before he could let Yu respond, he turned around and left the place.

The silver-haired boy could only watch, his uncle's words stuck in his mind like the echoes of a ringing bell. The only 'family' Nanako trusted most right now…? While it's true that he's been spending time with her a lot, he was doing it for the sake of healing his uncle and cousin's relationship… but now he was actually getting in the way of it. What could he do about that?

Sighing deeply, he silently went to where Nanako was sitting.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Nanako…?"

Nanako lifted her head to see Yu standing there, a worried look on his face. "Big bro…"

"…Let's go home." Yu went up the steps and sat down next to his cousin, knowing that the little brunette girl had a lot on her mind. Nanako nodded, looking like she was about to cry. "…Yeah."

"Nanako… your father was the one who found you. That's how I knew you were here."

He got no response for a moment, until Nanako asked in a quiet voice. "He was looking for me...? Did Dad say anything about the river?" She saw the troubled look on her cousin's face and simply lowered her gaze. "Did he forget about Mom...? He never talks about her... I wanna see Mom..." She was struggling not to cry although her eyes with glistening with tears… through her fierce resolve, their relationship has grown deeper although the air was heavy between them… and so did the _Justice Social Link_.

"Dad must've forgotten Mom. There aren't any pictures of her at home. He probably threw them all away... is he going to throw me away, too...?" Nanako continued, her voice an inaudible whisper. Yu was still able to hear her despite that. "He hasn't forgotten." In truth, he knew that Dojima was struggling to find the person who caused the hit-and-run that killed her mother…

Nanako only glanced at him for a moment, then looked down at her feet again. "...I'm going home. Let's go home together." She got up from where she sat, and so did Yu after a moment. He called his friends and told them that Nanako was alright first before going back home with his cousin… tonight's been eventful enough.

At least Nanako wasn't hurt or anything…

* * *

 

Monday came again, but this time with a heavy downpour that wouldn't last until the afternoon based on what Yu saw in the weather report. Thankfully, tomorrow was also going to rain and it'll last the whole day… he'll need to check the Midnight Channel tomorrow night. In the meantime, apparently the test results have been posted at lunchtime. The teachers must've really pushed themselves to mark the test papers before summer break came along on Wednesday… he went to check it out with Yosuke, seeing a small crowd by the notice board like last time.

As they both took a closer look at the papers, Yu noticed his name was at the very top – he got the highest score!

Yosuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoooa! You're a genius, Yu! That's awesome! I'm just as happy as if I'd got the highest grade myself!" He grinned proudly at his best friend while Yu sheepishly smiled. He wasn't used to getting compliments for his high grades… he usually just got bullied for it when he was younger. "Thanks…" The silver-haired boy could see the admiring looks he got from his friends… he felt closer to them now for some reason.

Eventually, everyone returned to class as lunch break was almost over.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yu went to do some training with Chie again. They were now in front of the Aiya Diner after they finished, with Chie looking excited at the thought of eating some steak again. "Today is steak bowl day! Just you wait!"

However, their attention was taken by a kid's voice coming from an alleyway. "I-I don't have any more..."

"D-Don't tell me they're at it again!?" Chie was now determined to stop the punks again. "Let's go, Yu-kun!" she said. Yu nodded and rushed off to the source of the child's voice with the brunette girl. Those punks must be stopped before they do any harm…!

~*~*~*~*~*~

They found the punks cornering a kid at the same spot Takeshi was in the time they found him cornered by the same gang. Chie was growing infuriated at the gang's act. "What are you up to!?" she yelled at them as she and Yu ran towards them, making the gang groan at the sight of her. "Huh? Aw, not her again."

The leader merely grinned. "Heheh, I know how to handle this bitch."

"Huhuhuh! You look like you have something planned!"

"H-Help..." The kid called for Chie, making the punk leader chuckle. "Hear that, 'Chie-chan'? He wants help," he said mockingly. Chie was taken aback upon hearing her name coming out of that bastard's mouth. "How do you know my name...?"

"We ran into the guy you saved last time... had a friendly conversation. He told us all kinds of stuff. Like where you live, and about that precious 'Yukiko-chan' of yours."

"...What are you trying to pull!?"

"Oh, I'm just gonna have a little chat with this kid. Stay put, okay? 'Cause who knows what'll happen to 'Yukiko-san' if you get in our way...?"

One of the punks grinned deviously. "Hehuhuh! Man, that's nasty!"

The brunette girl could only grit her teeth in anger. "Why, you...!!"

Things weren't looking good… but if Chie was going to fight these punks, then Yu was going to help her out. "We have to stop them," he told her as he stepped forward, getting into a battle-ready stance. Chie nodded in agreement, looking furious. "Yeah... we can't let these guys get away!" She was spitting mad…

"You sure about that? So you don't care what happens to your loved ones?" The punk leader reminded her condescendingly, causing Chie to straighten herself. "Rrrgh... fine, then _hit me_!"

This caught everyone else off guard, including Yu.

"You're pissed at me, right!? Then why don't you just take a swing at me? I won't fight back. Be my guest! The face, the gut, just pick a target! As hard as you want!" Chie got closer to the punk leader, until she was face to face with him. "C'mon!!"

The leader averted his gaze, unable to find the courage to take the hit. "...Freak."

"What's with this bitch... she for real? Whatever, man... let's go..." One of the gang members suggested, so they all left the two and the kid alone. The child was crying as he thanked Chie. "M-Miss... thank you..."

Chie was staring off into the distance for a moment until she broke out of it. "Huh? Oh, no, don't worry about it!"

The child then ran off, saved from the punks…

Sighing, the brunette girl turned to face Yu. "My heart's still pounding... was that stupid of me?" she asked him. Yu shook his head, smiling reassuringly. "No, you protected that kid. He would've been hurt if you hadn't come in."

"...Thanks." Chie seemed embarrassed at his words, smiling back with a rosy hue on her cheeks. She then looked away. "It might've been stupid, but I wanted to save them... that kid, Yukiko..." A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she looked back at the silver-haired boy. "How I feel about this isn't fake. I really want to protect them..."

Yu could feel their relationship grow yet deeper alongside the _Chariot Social Link_ … he was beginning to feel like there was something going to happen soon too.

The blush on Chie's cheeks only grew deeper now, and she began to look a little shy. "…Um, well... I also want to protect you... I might be a little flaky... and maybe you don't even need protecting... but... I... I want to protect you..." she admitted quietly. In that moment, Yu realised that she just revealed her feelings to him. If he were an ordinary guy, he _might_ ask her to be his girlfriend… though that was only if he liked her that way. However, he's not a guy in that sense… damn it, he didn't want to be in this situation. It hurt him as much as it would hurt a girl he's rejecting, but that's exactly what he'll have to do now.

He just won't say it outright. "…I'm counting on you." He could definitely see the disappointment in Chie's eyes as her smile turned into a friendly one.

"...Yep. I'm counting on you! So, let's have some steak!"

With a nod, he went back to the Chinese diner with her to eat there before going back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As night fell, Yu arrived back home while feeling guilty for having rejected Chie's feelings. He couldn't help it either… he's really just a girl in sheep's clothing, forced to do as his grandfather says. It was better he made it clear that he wasn't interested than to lead any other girl to growing a crush or attraction on him. Sighing, he went over to the living room to greet his cousin. "Hey, Nanako…"

"Hi, big bro." Nanako was all right after last night's events, smiling at him. She then remembered something. "Oh, yeah! Dad said you got the best score in the school on your tests. That's incredible!"

"You knew already…?" Yu was surprised to hear that. How did his uncle know that quick? The results just came out today…

Nanako nodded, still smiling brightly. "Umm… I made this. H-Here you go." She gave her cousin a paper armband, giggling with a slight flush to her face. At her giggling, Yu couldn't help but smile. She was so cute – he could admit that, at least. "Thanks, Nanako."

He might as well keep assembling the model that he was working on for a few nights now.

* * *

 

Tuesday was a dull day as it rained heavily, which was ironic as almost every other student was excited that today was the final day of the first school term… but Yui felt anxious since tonight was the first time in a while that she'll be able to check the Midnight Channel. Daytime passed so slowly that she just spent her afternoon at the Aiya Diner, trying out the Mega Beef Bowl challenge… and she failed, but it did give her a bit of a lesson. Nonetheless, when she arrived home, she went up to her room after eating dinner with Nanako.

Waiting for midnight felt like forever… but once it was about time, she got up from her sofa to stand in front of the TV. Soon, the TV came to life, and what appeared on the Midnight Channel was a boy standing with his back against a brick wall. The boy looked familiar, but Yui couldn't put a finger on it.

" _…You all think you can see me? You all think you know everything about me? …Then try and catch me._ "

That was all the boy said as the screen turned to a dull black, leaving the silver-haired girl puzzled as she wondered who he was. She had to stop thinking when her cell phone rang, so she answered it first. "Hello?"

It was Yosuke. _"Hey, did you see that!? Who was that guy? I don't know him… have you ever seen him on the news or some television special? He seemed really gloomy… like a zombie…"_

"I don't think I have…" Yui was sure that the boy never appeared on TV… but his appearance was making a bell ring in her head, but as to what it meant, she just couldn't remember. She could hear another voice from the other end, sounding a lot like Teddie… _"Yosuke! Yooosukeeee!"_

_"Alright already, I hear you! Sorry, I'm gonna give the phone to Ted."_

Now it was Teddie on the line. _"Sensei! It's me, Teddie! I finally got to see the Midnight Channel with my own eyes. Now I know exactly what's happening. That guy's suppressed emotions are resonating with the other side, which are picked up by the TVs over here. It's clear now that it's not being filmed by anyone. Mystery solved! But that kid… he must already be inside the other world! What're we gonna do!?"_

It felt strange to hear that bear's voice in the real world. Oh well.

"We need a plan first." Yui concluded. They can't barge into the other world without a plan and maybe a backup plan to boot. Who knows if that boy had a role in the murders…?

 _"Gotcha! I knew I could count on you, Sensei!"_ Teddie's trust in Yui – or rather, Yu Narukami was strong… _"I think my heart skipped a beat…"_

Blinking once, Yui felt the _Star Social Link_ grow stronger at Teddie's words. Is he seriously starting to have an attraction on her, who he thinks is a guy? This is going beyond weird now.

 _"That's enough, Ted! Gimme the phone!"_ Yosuke got his phone back to continue his talk with her. _"Hey, how could he be already inside!? What happened to the blurry image that we usually see in advance? And did you hear what he said? 'Try and catch me'…"_ The other line fell silent for a few seconds. _"Now that I think about it, he looked like a high schooler… hey, could he be…? Nah, I better not jump to conclusions. Let's meet up at headquarters tomorrow."_

"Okay, I'll see you there."

_"Alright, later!"_

The call ended there. Right as Yui was about to put her phone back into her pocket, it rang again… this time, it was Chie. She answered it, putting her cell to her ear again. "Chie?"

_"Oh, I finally got through! Yosuke's line was busy, too… I was just talking to Yukiko! Was that…?"_

The silver-haired girl then recapped her conversation with Yosuke and Teddie for her.

_"Yeah, we gotta get to the bottom of this. Well, off to bed. G'night."_

"Good night, Chie." Yui ended the call, sighing. She'll have to go to bed early too… and there was one thought that hung around the back of her mind. Although neither of them wanted to jump to conclusions, but they all probably understood the meaning – the boy was the killer.

And he's in the other world.


	30. Void Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They discover who the killer is, and he is someone they've seen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh lookie, this is my 30th chapter. Wonder how many chapters I'll end up writing if I've only reached that weird game guy's saga by now... welp.

Although the next day was the start of summer break, Yu had no time to rest as he rushed out of his home the moment he woke up and got dressed to meet the others at the Junes food court. By the time he arrived, everyone except Rise and Teddie were there – Yosuke then told him that those two were checking out the other side, so they'll start the meeting for now. They first talked about what they saw last night… and there was one thing they were sure of: the boy on the Midnight Channel was the killer.

However, the boy's motive for targeting people who were shown on TV was still a mystery… but if he had a personal grudge against Mr. Morooka, it could explain the sudden change in modus operandi. Yet the way he looked on the Midnight Channel… he seemed depressed, almost like he was going to get desperate and end it all, though that might not be the case. Either way, they'll just have to ask him their questions face to face. As they reached to that conclusion, Rise arrived at the table to tell them that while there's not enough information to go on, there was definitely someone in the other world.

With that, all they had to do now was to find out who the boy is and if he really was the killer. Once that is done, all they have to do then is to confront him in the TV world… and only they can do it now.

The _Fool Social Link_ grew stronger as everyone's heart was united by the desire to solve the case.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As everyone went to ask for information in the various spots in town, Yu started off in the flood plains. The problem is that they didn't have much to go on… but Kanji gave him a good idea – why don't he ask his uncle about the guy? Though knowing Dojima, he'll probably scold him for asking in the first place.

Worth a shot.

Heading down to the shopping district, Yu found his uncle by roadside. Steeling himself for a potential scolding, he approached Dojima with a question in mind and dared himself to ask it. The detective raised an eyebrow at that. "A clue to the criminal investigation? You… I told you not to stick your neck into things! There's no way I'd tell you!" Dojima sighed and looked around. "Geez… damn, where did that Adachi go off to…?" he muttered to himself, but it didn't go unheard by the silver-haired teenager.

…Well, it _was_ worth a shot.

Realising that there was nothing much he could do today, Yu decided to kill time by eating the special dish for today at the Aiya Diner…

* * *

 

When Thursday came along, Yu went to Junes since that was where he kept seeing Adachi in the past. Luckily, the young detective was there today. He approached the man quietly, trying to hear what Adachi was mumbling about. "I think I'll stay here a little longer before I go out again…" Adachi murmured before sighing. He then turned his head, only to notice the silver-haired boy there. "Mm? Aaah! You startled me… don't sneak up on me like that…!"

Yu bowed slightly to apologise for that. "My apologies… I was just wondering on what you were doing here, sir."

"Eh? What was I doing? Oh, uh, you know… investigating…"

…Doesn't look like it.

This might be his chance to get some information… "I'll tell Dojima," Yu told him, holding in a smirk. That wouldn't help him get anywhere if he let it show, but he couldn't help it. It was somewhat satisfying to exploit a person's one fault – an old habit of his back when he was a delinquent. He should really be trying to get rid of it anyway.

"D-Did Dojima-san maybe say anything about it? Just keep this a secret from him… please!"

"Fine… then tell me some clues you have to apprehend the suspect."

"…Wait, what? Clues to catch the suspect? If I tell you, will you keep quiet!?"

The silver-haired boy nodded in response. In return for his silence, he wanted information.

"Okay then… I'm just talking to myself here, but… he supposedly had a part-time job in the shopping district. Where was it? Oh… I don't think they told me that much."

"Thanks. I'll keep quiet about it." Yu then left the place, contemplating about the info he just got. The boy had a part-time job, huh… well, off to the shopping district, then.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Arriving at the shopping district, Yu asked around about a student that used to work part-time, but he got negative responses until he asked the lady running the Souzai Daigaku down the block.

"Wh-Where'd you hear that from? I told him not to tell anyone… anyway. Yes, he did work here for a short time. But this was a while ago. He freaked out just from cutting the raw meat. Hmm… I remember he had black eyes. And what else… oh yeah. He said the person who worked here before him was his classmate during middle school… I see that kid - his classmate - around here sometimes. Maybe you should talk to him when you see him. I don't know if you'll find him today, but he recently dyed his hair golden brown, so he should be easy to spot."

"Thank you, ma'am." He now had a lead about that boy. If he could find this golden brown-haired classmate, he'll probably get some information about the guy on the Midnight Channel. Though he couldn't find him anywhere on his way down to the food stall, so he'll have to continue the investigation tomorrow… he'll just kill time in the meanwhile.

* * *

 

The next day, Yu began searching in the shopping district for the classmate of the boy. It didn't take him too long as he spotted a flash of golden brown hair near the tofu shop, which the lady running the Souzai Daigaku said belonged to the classmate of the boy on the Midnight Channel. He approached the student and asked to see his yearbook if he could.

"Huh? You want to see my yearbook? Oh, are you looking for… him? You wanna see his picture? Heh heh, you do, don't you? Well, today's your lucky day, because me and my friends are going around showing it to everyone! Want a copy?"

"Uh, sure."

"Here you go." The student gave Yu a photograph.

Taking a closer look at it, the silver-haired boy noticed that it was the guy they were looking for all this while. There's no doubt about it. The name written below the picture was 'Mitsuo Kubo'… so this is the guy's name. He'll have to report to Rise about this, but he could see that everyone in the team was tired from the three-day investigation. So, he messaged them to take a break as he found some information about the boy they're looking for, and that they'll meet up in three days' time.

Getting a few messages of affirmation, he decided to spend the day working at the day care centre. He hasn't been there in a while.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Yu finished his work for the day, he was walking back home through the flood plains when he noticed someone sitting at the resting hut – it was Yuuta's mother. He guessed that he should at least greet her and maybe remind her to go pick up Yuuta… so he walked towards the resting hut. "Hello, ma'am."

The brunette lady noticed him standing that. "Oh, you're... you're the caretaker I met the other day, right?" At that thought, she realised that it must be time to pick up her son, her expression turning troubled. "Oh! It's already this late? I've been sitting here all this time..."

"…Is something on your mind, ma'am?" Yu could see that she seemed stressed about something. However, Yuuta's mother just gave him a smile. "...Oh, no, it's nothing." She giggled softly. "You're a high school student, right? You seem so mature..." Her smile then fell as she looked down at her lap. "I was heading over there... I was going to pick up Yuuta... but then something came over me... my legs just went weak all of a sudden. Every time I think about him..." She sighed deeply, the sound echoing through the empty hills of grass like a wispy whisper.

She then lifted her head to gaze at Yu. "...Have you heard? Yuuta and I aren't related by blood..."

So… the gossip he heard from the supervisor was true. He thought it was mere empty words, brought about by the wind of chatter.

"He's my husband's child. I've lived with Yuuta for six months now... only six months... already six months... we don't ever talk to each other. My husband is away, so... heh... it's just the two of us, alone together in a dark house."

"That sounds tough…" Yu could understand how that felt. The days he had to stay with his grandfather was exactly like that. Just plain awkwardness between them, a boundary of generations and rules keeping them apart. The only thing that connected them was the blood that ran through his veins, and the silver white colour of his hair – the trademark sign of a Narukami. White hair wasn't very common among young people, obviously…

Yuuta's mother then snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you all this out of the blue... but I'm glad you listened to me, that you spoke with me... haha, it's sad, but these days, I don't even get to have simple conversations like this..." she said, smiling weakly. She must be trying her best to adapt to living in the countryside… the silver-haired teenager could sense that. There were whispers in his head, speaking in echoes of a new bond forming between them… which resulted in the formation of the _Temperance Social Link_ of the _Temperance Arcana_.

It's strange how some of these Social Links involved adults… but he has one with a fox and a bear, so he's not exactly questioning it. When he came to, he saw the brunette lady smile at him. "I'm Eri Minami. Nice to meet you. Please take good care of him," she introduced herself. Yu nodded, smiling back. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. My name is Yu Narukami."

"Yu Narukami… what a nice name." Eri then stood up from where she sat. " ...Oh, that's right. I still need to pick him up." She looked at the teenager with a gentle smile. "It was nice seeing you..." She then left, leaving Yu to continue his walk back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Nanako seemed anxious when Yu arrived back home, so he sat down at the table with her to find out why she looked so worried. "Is something the matter, Nanako?" he asked. The little girl stared down nervously. "Um... I lost the paper I was supposed to return to school... what should I do...? The teacher will yell at me."

Oh, so that's why. "I'll help you look for it, then."

"Thank you, big bro." Nanako seemed ready to cry to distress… without wasting anymore time, they began to search the house.

It was a while, but as Yu checked the dining table, he saw that the papers Dojima was always going through were here. Carefully checking through a few, he noticed a paper with a title about a survey hidden among the pile of papers. The word 'Anytime' has been written in the 'Day Requested' box... this must be the paper his cousin was looking for. He also spotted something else hidden in the papers. It seemed to be a photo… taking a closer look, he realised what it was.

…Nanako deserved to see this, at least.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They sat at the table in the living room again so Nanako could look at the paper and the photo Yu found. She first looked at the paper, which he had placed on the table. "It says 'Anytime... I'll try,' on it. So... he can come anytime?" she asked her cousin. Yu nodded. "Yeah… he can come anytime."

"I see..." The little girl giggled, a smile on her face. She then looked at the photo she now held in her hands. "And this is... a photo? Oh, this is... mom..." Her smile fell the longer she gazed at the photo. "This little baby in the middle... that's me... dad's smiling..." She became quiet for a few moments before lifting her gaze to look at her cousin. "Why did Dad stop smiling...?" she asked him. "…Because he's lonely, too," Yu answered softly. The death of Dojima's wife has caused them to become so lonely in her absence… their relationship has become strained as the detective tried to find the one who caused her death to the extent of being away from home for most of Nanako's life.

Nanako looked at him in surprise. "Dad's... lonely...? I see... so that's it..." She seemed to have realised something. "After Mom died, I was lonely, but... I'm not the only one who's sad that Mom's not here anymore... Dad... he was lonely, too... I'm sorry, Dad." She looked more mature, somehow.

From these turn of events, their relationship has grown deeper with the _Justice Social Link_ …

"Thank you, big bro... will Dad ever smile like this again?" The little girl asked. Yu gently smiled at her with a nod to reassure her. "I'm sure that one day he will." He could only watch as his cousin stared at the photo again. Eventually he put her to bed since it was getting late…

* * *

 

The town was awfully quiet the next day despite the clear blue skies overhead. All Yu could hear was the cries of cicadas… it unnerved him a little since it was creeping him out. He decided to go to the day care centre to help out the staff there. Least to say, the atmosphere there was the total opposite of the atmosphere in the shopping district with children running around, and even Yuuta challenged him to arm-wrestling. It was a nice change in scenery, even if he was being tugged at from all directions.

As time passed, all the children except Yuuta were picked up by their parents. He chatted a little with the young boy until he noticed Eri approaching them.

"Oh, it's you... Yu-kun… was it?" asked Eri, to which the silver-haired teenager nodded in response. The brunette lady then smiled at Yuuta. "Yuu-kun, are you getting along with Mister Yu?"

Yuuta looked away from her. "...No! You don't have to come pick me up!" He ran away, leaving Eri to watch him morosely. "Yuu-kun..." She sighed before looking at Yu. "Do you like children?"

The question surprised the teenager. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, deciding to tell the truth this time. "To be honest, I actually dislike children." Nanako was an exception, of course. He just hated kids from his experience in his younger days… he could complain so much about them from the way they acted to how they could impulsively gang up on smaller kids. Though, that could be because of how their parents raised them, but who knows the truth of it?

"Really? You looked like you were having a lot of fun... so you basically just view this as your job, then? That's great." Eri was impressed at that. She soon sighed again, her smile falling. "It's so tiring… I don't hate him, but..."

"You have problems with him…?"

"...It's more complicated than that. Haha, you're still a child, I see..." The brunette lady smiled sadly at Yu. "I didn't like coming here because I'd run into the other mothers, but... haha." Her words resonated with the loneliness she felt… Yu felt like he could understand the feeling, which resulted in the _Temperance Social Link_ becoming stronger.

After a moment, a pair of women soon noticed them. "Ah... are you Yuuta-kun's mother? Is it okay for you to leave Yuuta-kun by himself for this long?" One of them asked. The other added their opinion about it. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea. Even if you are worried about the young new caretaker being able to watch over your child."

Eri nodded with a calm expression. "...Yes, of course. I'm sorry to trouble you. Then... if you'll excuse me…" She went to go get Yuuta.

The only thing Yu could do now was finish up his job and return home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Yui spent her remaining hours for the day to finish up the model. She almost panicked when she noticed that there was one piece left over, only to recall that it was a spare piece. Nonetheless, she now had a completed model to show the guy that made the ema request in the shopping district… an MF-062 Brahman, according to the box the model pieces came in with.

She actually felt satisfied for finishing it. Made her feel proud for doing something so detailed… the man will definitely be happy to see this model completed. She might even display it on the empty shelf in her room once she did show it to him.

* * *

 

Yu showed the model to the man who made the ema request, who was astonished to see that it was completed.

"That's the MF-06S Brahman I gave you! You actually built it… wow, it's good… well-made…" The man was beginning to tear up at the sight of the model. "Making plastic models takes a lot of time, huh? The time you spend makes the love for your creation deeper…" He sniffled, wiping his nose. "Haha, I must be getting old… I was recalling the days I spent toiling away at plastic models… it was fun… But it's all in the past now… thank you. By giving me a final glimpse of this joy, you made me realize that this phase of my life has passed. I thank you… oh, and the shrine, too. I finally feel like I can find something else to live for." He was smiling sadly at the silver-haired teenager.

Then the man remembered something. "Oh, yeah. You can have this, too. I have fond memories of this model… I don't need it anymore. It's time to move on…" He gave Yu another unfinished model before leaving. At least the man had some closure now.

Yu quietly left the shopping district, heading towards the flood plains with a thought in mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Going down to the riverside, the one person he hoped to see here was there today – it was the old lady he saw in the hospital. Yu approached her quietly, not wanting to startle her. "Excuse me…"

The old lady in mourning garb then looked at him, taking a moment to realise who he was. "Oh, you don't happen to be… the hospital janitor?" she asked.

"That's right, ma'am."

"My, I didn't think I would see you here. It's a nice day today… would you take the time to talk with this old woman?"

"Of course." Yu nodded, smiling at her.

"My, I'm so happy." The old lady in black gave him a gentle smile back. "Good day, umm..."

"Ah, my name is Yu Narukami."

"Yu Narukami... Yu-chan, is it? Haha, a lovely name. It suits you. I've lived here all my life, but... I don't know you."

"Well, I won't be staying long…" Yu only had a year in Inaba, after all. So much had happened in the few months he was here – he got involved in a serial murder case, actually had friends, and even fell in love… but all that was temporary. He will be forced to leave all that behind by next year.

"My, is that so? If you're from the city, you may think it's a bit inconvenient here... but I think it's a nice town."

"…I think so, too." Inaba was calm unlike the roaring streets and blaring lights of the cities in Japan. He might even miss this peacefulness when his time here was up.

"Haha, that's nice to hear. It's good to hear pleasant things about your home." The old lady soon noticed that she hasn't introduced herself. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Hisano Kuroda." She paused for a moment, then said something strange. "…I am Death."

The silver-haired boy blinked a few times, wondering if he heard that right. "Death?"

After a few seconds, Hisano slowly shook her head. "...I'm sorry. I'm saying foolish things." She smiled again at him. "Yu-chan, you're still not used to this town, are you? If you ever have any problems, I can give you some advice. Haha... though I'm sure you'd rather spend your time with young ladies."

She seemed to be a kindly old woman even though she just called herself 'Death'… Yu found himself becoming acquaintances with Hisano, resulting in whispers speaking in his head again about the formation of a new Social Link… this time the _Death Social Link_ of the _Death Arcana_. Man, way to make a point of the name…

"I hope we can meet again," Hisano said, nodding at the teenager. "Goodbye, now."

"Goodbye, ma'am." Yu bowed before they parted ways for the day. Tomorrow will be the day the Investigation Team met up to go into the TV world… he'll have to get ready for that.

* * *

 

The next day was the first day of August, and that was the day the team will be going into the TV world. Yu went to the Velvet Room first to fuse a few new Personas… and maybe finish more of Margaret's requests. He was much better than the last time he was in there, at least.

First, a Gdon that knew Rampage.

Margaret smiled when she noticed that he fulfilled her request. "This Gdon has Rampage… I see… you have successfully completed the quest… do you know why I asked you to bring me such a beast?"

Yu blinked in silence, which showed that he did not.

"…Because I wanted you to be aware that even an innocent girl like you can harbour such a dreadful creature inside."

The silence that fell between them gave Yu enough time to comprehend what the platinum blonde woman just said. His eyes widened once he realised that Margaret knew that he wasn't a boy all this while. "Y-you…"

The Velvet Room attendant merely gave the silver-haired teenager a knowing smile. "…And… I wanted to ride on it for a bit. But this Persona seems too hot for me… can I extinguish its flame?" She acted like she didn’t just reveal a crucial piece of information to the crossdressing teenager that sat at the other end of the limousine-like room, chuckling when the only response she got was stunned silence from Yu. "I'm kidding. I wouldn't harm your Persona, nor yourself… I think. And yes, I know who you are. You don't need to hide yourself from me or my master."

"…Oh." Yu's voice was an inaudible whisper, baffled that Igor and Margaret were so much more than they appeared to be. His face visibly reddened despite the dim azure glow coming from the windows and the lights above them. "You know that I'm…?"

Margaret nodded, and Igor flashed the silver-haired boy his typical grin.

…This new revelation made the _Empress Social Link_ grow stronger.

Even so, Margaret continued on like nothing happened. "Well then… for my next request… I would like a Neko Shogun capable of using Bufula. If anyone can do this for me, it's you."

"N-Neko Shogun, Bufula… got it." Yu took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, seeing that the two occupants of the Velvet Room weren't bothered in the slightest by his deepest secret. If they could remain calm, then so could he. Thus, he summoned and fused Personas until he managed to fuse a Neko Shogun that knew Bufula, which made Margaret smile at the result.

"Ah, a Neko Shogun with Bufula… you have successfully completed the quest again." She chuckled as she took a closer look at the cat that looked like a shogun, as expected from its name. "This is a rare Persona… I think I could even beat my master with this. Hm… wait a moment. The Persona's nose isn't long at all…" She then shook her head. "No… there's no way I can win with this Persona. It's not easy to surpass the master… regardless, I appreciate your showing me this beautiful Persona. One after another, you make my every wish come true… what an astounding lady… hmhm."

She smiled gently at Yu as the Social Link that represented their bond grew even stronger. "Now, for my next request… bring me a Black Frost that knows Auto-Sukukaja… I know you can do this."

That shouldn't be too hard.

Feeling more confident this time, Yu repeated the same process of fusing and summoning Personas until he got the result he wanted. Margaret chuckled as a tarot card bearing the Black Frost Persona appeared, floating down onto the table. "A Black Frost with Auto-Sukukaja… you've once again successfully completed the quest. Do you know this Persona's tragic past? Black Frost lived alone for over thousands of years… while enduring this solitude, he prayed to the sky, over and over. Pleading, 'Give me a friend'… eventually, the god he served granted him a friend for a single day… and the two of them frolicked through the fields, as happy as could be."

In some way, it sounded like that this story was going to have a sad ending…

"They spent many precious hours together… and then… the sun set. The friend vanished… Black Frost regretted his request. If he had known he would have been left sad and lonely, he would never have asked for a friend in the first place. Hence, Block Fro…" Margaret paused for a moment. "I didn't mispronounce it."

Yu stared at her, knowing that she did. Also, he was right about the sad ending.

"…Forget it. I made it all up anyway. Did you believe me? Adults shouldn't be so easily swayed by what others say. Anyhow, I appreciate that you showed me this wonderful card. You've been making my wishes come true so easily… you're outstanding," Margaret said all that with a gentle smile like before, and the _Empress Social Link_ increased in strength yet again. Her gaze turned serious as she revealed her next request. "For my next request, show me a Yatagarasu equipped with the Megido skill… I am sure that you can do this. I await your return."

Seeing that he was kind of running low on funds to summon Personas now, Yu excused himself with new knowledge in mind. Guess he'll have to add Igor and Margaret to the list of people who knew he's not who he says he is…

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Yu called everyone to the Junes food court, they entered the TV to let Rise scan the other world for the murder suspect's presence. Firstly, he showed the others the picture of Mitsuo Kubo. Yosuke recognized the face in an instant. "That's him all right… it's definitely the guy on the Midnight Channel! It's settled, then. He is the killer… and he's in here now!"

"This guy came to our shop before…" Rise murmured, looking frightened as her words surprised the others. "Was he… spying on me…? Oh my God… I really was being targeted…"

"Dammit! Frickin' punk!" Kanji was starting to get mad, hearing about this boy's actions. To think that this guy kidnapped them with the intention to let them get killed in the other world… they had to stop him before he could get anyone else. Chie stared at the photo for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing. "Hey, I've seen him before too… hmm…" Then, a memory hit her. "Oh, now I remember! Yukiko, it's that one guy!"

"That one guy…?" Yukiko looked at her best friend in confusion.

"Back in April, remember!? He suddenly came and started hitting on you!"

Yosuke took a moment to realise who the brunette girl was talking about. "Oh, him! The dude who got served by Yukiko in front of the school! Man, Chie, how'd you remember something like that!?"

"Well, that was the first time he talked to her, but I remember he was always following her around."

Yukiko was still puzzled as to who the two were talking about. "Um… sorry, who are we talking about?"

"The dude who came right up to you at the school gates and called you Yuki!" Yosuke told her.

"Ohhhh… uhh… really?"

At that realisation, Chie became infuriated. "Wait, did he kidnap Yukiko to get back at her for rejecting him?!" Now this was starting to make sense. Yu remembered that day too – it was his first day in Yasogami High, after all.

"Um… I didn't really reject him…"

Rise had her share of the store too. "He came up to me while I was busy working and asked, 'Don't the biker gangs bother you?'. Just going on and on about how biker gangs can't do anything unless they're in a pack and stuff… he seemed to be the type who just keeps talking, whether you like it or not… if that make sense… I usually treat those people politely so they don't get offended, but I was so tired that I kinda ignored him. Was that why I was kidnapped…?"

After hearing the idol's story, Kanji shook his head in bewilderment. "Huh…? Wait, I'm not a biker! Ugh… that damn special report… so that's why I got dragged into this."

"You know, I heard he'd been saying stuff about that announcer's affair, too. Lots of muttering about how women who cheat on their husbands should be executed," Chie added. Yosuke smiled, seeing how everything was falling into place. "Sounds like it's all coming together… well, it's time for a showdown!"

They all nodded, determination in their faces.

Yosuke then looked at Rise. "Can you tell where this Mitsuo guy's at?"

"I'll give it a try. Just a sec…" Rise summoned her Persona, Himiko, who appeared behind her and placed the visor-like device in its hands over her eyes, letting the dark brunette girl scan the area while it moved its head side to side, like a satellite. "…Yeah, I found him!" she announced, lifting a hand to point in a direction. "He's that way." Then, Himiko disappeared into shards and back into the depths of her heart.

"Alright, let's go! We're so close to the killer… we can't lose him now!" Chie wasn't going to let this guy die in the TV world, and neither will the team. If he surely was the killer, then they can't let him go that easily.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Their destination this time was one of the oddest ones yet – instead of being a place similar to that of the real world, everything looked much like an old videogame… down to the blocky scenery and the appearance. There were floating words ahead of them, one with the words 'GAME START' and the other 'CONTINUE'… and beyond them was the abyss of red and black.

Chie stared at the sight, a bit puzzled at the whole image of it. "What is this…? Some kinda game?" she murmured, looking around. Yosuke was feeling just about the same. "Well, he did taunt us, saying 'Try and catch me'… I guess he thinks of all this as a game."

Now that made her mad. "Ohhh, this pisses me off! I hereby sentence him to a hundred kicks to the face!" She looked at the others, eager to teach this Mitsuo Kubo a lesson. "Let's go!"

"…Well, let the games begin," Yu said, which made Yosuke grin at him. "Gotta admit… all guys love games," The brunette boy commented, missing the exasperated look Chie gave them both. "And all girls love Teddie!" Teddie added with a cheeky smile. Of course, no one said anything about it as they walked ahead without him, leaving him to catch up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Joining Yu for the journey up the dungeon this time was Kanji, Yosuke and Teddie. The first thing they noticed when entering was the whole appearance of the place itself – this was a legitimate game dungeon, though everything just looked blocky and retro, including the flames on the torches. Before they could take another step forward, a floating screen emerged out of thin air in front of Yu. "Huh?" He blinked a few times in surprise, taking a closer look at it. On it were options like that of a videogame, one saying 'Begin a new quest' and the other 'End your quest'.

Without any input from him, the arrow began to move before settling on the first option, which revealed another screen asking to input 'his' name.

Rise was confused at what she and the others were seeing. "Huh!? What is this?" They watched as the blank space began to reveal letters which spelled out Mitsuo Kubo's name… the idol huffed in irritation. "Does this mean the game's starting!? Urgh, this kinda pisses me off!" She looked at Yu, a fire in her eyes. "Let's go, Senpai!"

Getting a nod in response, the team started to traverse through the halls of the dungeon.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Shadows in this place were much stronger than the ones in the strip club, that much they could see as they got up to the second floor. Arriving there, a loud, menacing voice echoed through the halls which halted them in their steps.

" _Waahahahahahaha! How dare you stand against me for being a rotten orange! I'll make a worthless human like you taste endless pain! Take this!_ "

A screen popped up in front of Yu again, bearing the words 'System Message'. A few more words appeared on screen, almost like a game…

'Critical hit! Punishing hit! Mitsuo has been knocked down…'

This sounded a lot like… abuse. But he couldn't assume that since they had no idea whose voice that belonged to. Rise seemed uneasy at the sight of those words. "Huh!? No way…  what's this all about? A-Anyways… we need to hurry on!"

They continued on.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The third floor had even more voices, none of them belonging to Mitsuo.

" _Good morning. You seemed to have slept well last night. You slept so well that not even the noisy siren from the police cars woke you._ "

" _I think something really bad happened… can you go buy some coffee from the café at the arcade? Thanks. Did you hear a girl was killed? It's becoming a dangerous world out there… I don't even feel safe walking around town… don't let your guard down, and make sure you're not out late, okay?_ "

The strange conversation aside, this floor almost looked like a dead end… but upon reaching certain areas of the floor, they were transported forward to another similar hallway. Eventually they managed to get through this floor and went up to the fourth floor, which revealed even more of Mitsuo's actions.

" _A female announcer draws near!_ "

Another screen popped up in front of Yu, acting like a way for the team to see the events that happened.

'Command? >Fight'

'Mitsuo attacks! Thou hast done well in defeating the female announcer. Mitsuo hath been promoted to the next level. Thy Excitement increases by 4. They Emptiness increases by 1.'

"This can't be…" Rise watched the screen with wide eyes. "Does he mean murdering people was just a game for him? He's so on my enemies list!"

Yu gripped his katana tightly. This boy seems a lot more dangerous than he looks… the only thing they could do now is keep going.

~*~*~*~*~*~

What they heard from the voices on the fifth floor was horrible.

" _A corpse discoverer draws near!_ "

Yosuke froze, staring at the screen that soon popped up in front of Yu as he watched the words dance on the glossy surface of the screen. A corpse discoverer…? That means…

'Command? >Fight'

'Mitsuo attacks! Thou hast done well in defeating the corpse discoverer. Mitsuo hath been promoted to the next level. Thy Sadness increases by 5. Thy Emptiness increases by 8.'

Rise was growing worried, not noticing how the brunette boy fell silent all of a sudden. "The next level…? No way! Does that mean he's getting stronger!? Senpai, be careful! This guy may be more dangerous than we thought!" she alerted Yu. The silver-haired boy nodded but glanced at his best friend with concern. That voice just revealed that Mitsuo was the cause of Saki Konishi's death… "Yosuke? Are you alright?"

He could see Yosuke visibly shaking, arms turned into fists. Suddenly, the brunette boy whispered in a low voice, rage seeping into his words. "That damn bastard! I'll…!" He was about to run ahead in his anger when Yu grabbed his arm before he could get too far. "Yosuke!" The silver-haired boy yelled, trying to snap him out of it. Yosuke shook him off as he turned around to face his best friend, looking like he could burst into tears at the reminder of Saki's death. "That guy… he killed her!"

"I know… but we're this close to catching him now, Yosuke." Yu attempted to calm him down despite that. "We'll make him pay for his crimes in jail. Isn't that what we're doing this for?"

The brunette boy could barely say anything. "But… S-Saki-senpai… she…" His voice was shaky, and he was breathing deeply to hold down the rage he had. The urge to just run off and get this guy for what he had done was compelling, but Yu was right. Death would merely be an escape… and jailtime would ensure this guy paid for his crimes in full. "…You're right…" He sighed, the anger in his heart dissipating like mist. "I guess I shouldn't have reacted like that…" he murmured, seeming shameful for his attitude moments ago.

"It's alright." Placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder, Yu gave him a reassuring smile. "We just need to keep going – we'll get him."

Nodding slowly, Yosuke sadly smiled back at the silver-haired boy. "…Thanks, partner." To avenge Saki's death, he was now further determined to get to the top floor of this dungeon and catch Mitsuo Kubo with the team.

"It's what friends do, no?" Yu said as he patted his best friend's shoulder. "Come on, we got a guy to apprehend."

So, they traversed through the hallways of the floor…

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

Going further up, the voices sounded even worse. It's almost as if Mitsuo was going insane… and on the seventh floor, they found another strong Shadow hidden in a room. It merely summoned Almighty Hands that once they defeated the original Shadow, all the summoned ones scuttered away like spiders. What a joke.

At the far end of the room was a chest, and inside was some kind of orb… full of darkness. With that in hand, they pushed forward to the next level.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The eighth floor revealed that Mitsuo did kill their previous homeroom teacher.

" _Waahahahahahaha! How dare you stand against me for being a rotten orange!_ "

A screen appeared in front of Yu.

'Morooka draws near! Command?'

'>Kill… >Run… >Kill'

'Mitsuo attacks! Thou hast done well in killing Morooka. Mitsuo hath been promoted to the next level. They Attention increases by 16. Thy Fame increases by 17. Thy Coolness increases by 3.'

Rise huffed in disbelief. "What's with this…!? All this about attention and fame… I can't believe this! What makes him think this is cool!? Let's hurry, Senpai! We gotta catch this sick bastard!"

Yu had to nod in agreement. This was just wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The ninth floor seemed to show Mitsuo's descent into insanity.

" _Ah, the hero Mitsuo… thou hast done well! You're… yyyyooouuuuu'''rrrreeeee…_ "

Another voice spoke, bearing Mitsuo's voice. " _…I… I… don't have anything… IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII DDDOOOONNTTHAAVEANNYYTHINNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG---_ "

Rise was uneasy as she sensed something. "Senpai, we're closing in! Be careful!" she warned Yu, which she got a nod in response. "Alright… everyone, don't let your guard down." The silver-haired boy had a feeling that they'll be reaching the summit after this floor… they must get ready for a potential fight against the killer.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As Yu expected, the next floor was the top.

In front of them was a giant wooden door that blocked their way. Rise observed it for a moment. "Hmmm… I can sense him past this door…" Yet as she pushed it a little, it was noticeable that the door was sealed with a mysterious power. At that realisation, the orb of darkness they obtained a few floors ago suddenly began to act up. Yu held out the orb, watching with some fascination as pitch-black darkness flowed from it towards the doors… promptly breaking the seal holding the doors closed.

Then, the doors opened up to let the team run inside.

"Look! There he is!" Chie pointed out. The place seemed to be an arena of sorts, and there was Mitsuo… with another Mitsuo. Except one of them bore a dark blue aura and bright yellow eyes… similar to that of a Shadow…

"You Mitsuo?! You better be ready to pay, you bastard!" Kanji began to yell at him. However, Yosuke noticed that something was off. "Wait, Kanji… something's not right!"

Mitsuo was shouting at the other Mitsuo. "Everyone gets on my nerves… that's why I did it! What do you think of that!? Say something, dammit!" Yet all he got was silence. "Nobody even thought of me after the first two people. That's why I went for the third one! I killed them!" His words shocked the Investigation Team, hearing that he did kill the victims from his own mouth. Again, the other Mitsuo remained silent which unnerved him. "Wh-What're you all quiet for…?"

Finally, the other Mitsuo spoke, his voice laced with distortion. " ** _Because… I feel nothing…_** "

"What're you talking about!? Make sense, dammit!"

Chie stared at the two, growing confused. "What the…? Which one's the Shadow?" She and the others could only watch as the other Mitsuo continued to speak.

" ** _I… have nothing… I am nothing… and you… are me…_** "

Mitsuo was taken aback at what the other him said. "What…? What's that supposed to mean!? I'm… I'm not nothing…"

Yukiko soon realised that he was about to make the same mistake she made when confronted with her Shadow. "No! If this keeps up…!" Her voice was loud enough to make Mitsuo turn around to see who was there. "Wh-Who are you guys!? How'd you get in here…? Dammit, who the hell are you!? What're you doing here!?" he questioned them. Kanji yelled at him again. "Shut the hell up! We came after you!"

"Are you the killer?" Chie asked nervously.

Mitsuo began to laugh. "Haha… ahahahahaha! Of course I am! I'm the one behind everything!" He turned around to face the other Mitsuo. "I don't give a damn what this imposter's saying! Hahaha, you hear that!? You have nothing to do with me! Get outta my sight!" he shouted at his Shadow, practically telling it off. He didn't even care that he got no response again as he turned around to look at the Investigation Team once more. "That goes for the rest of you, too… why'd you chase me all the way here!? I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! I can do it, you know… I can do anything!"

…From behind him, darkness poured out of his Shadow as a deep voice spoke. " ** _So you don't accept me…_** "

"Ngh… what the…?" Mitsuo felt weak all of a sudden, falling onto his knees. The darkness concentrated into his Shadow, and he cried out in pain as his Shadow turned into a monster resembling a bare child with a halo of strange shapes floating around its head.

The Investigation Team got ready for battle, now having to face another person's Shadow. "Dammit, here we go again!" Yosuke wasn't fond of these battles, but it seems that he'll have to fight these Shadows either way. Rise backed off to a safe distance away to prepare for her assist. "Get ready, everyone! Once we beat him, this case is as good as closed!" she told everyone. Yu prepared himself for another battle against someone's other self – now it was up to him to lead the team to victory.

Thus, they were thrust into a battle with the killer's Shadow itself, one that'll be their toughest one yet.


	31. Game's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against the killer begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mitsuo's battle incoming! Oh, and there might be a little eggy mess by the end of this chapter... hehe. Man I took a while to write this - school has been taking most of my time and energy, so I wasn't able to write as much as I would've liked over the past few days. Nonetheless, it's here!

Yu had expected that the battle might be tougher than the last, but this was just plain brutal.

" ** _I am… a Shadow… come… I'll end your emptiness._** " The Shadow had surrounded itself in a shell of giant blocks that made it look like a lame eight-bit RPG character, now known as Mitsuo the Hero. Its voice was still laced with distortion, but now it sounded almost like a robot. "It's all jaggy and blocky!" Teddie said, observing the Shadow's form with shock. Yosuke just felt like he was seeing the worse rendition of a game character ever. "Is that thing supposed to be a game character…? Geez, how insulting can he get?!"

" ** _Come…_** "

"Senpai! You'll have to destroy the outer shell first!" Rise alerted Yu as the battle finally began. The silver-haired boy nodded in affirmation. "Got it." This won't be easy, but he'll do his best to make sure they'll win this fight.

Firstly, they did their usual round of buff and debuff spells, though with Teddie's help, they were able to cast them much faster and easier. Then came the Shadow's turn, and the team quickly realised that this was a different case – the Shadow was able to attack them twice in just a few moments, and as it did so, a little selection menu even popped up to show what it chose. Among its choices were 'Attack', 'Spell', and 'Item', all of which seemed bad enough.

Choosing the first option just did what it said, and 'Item' actually made the Shadow use a bomb on someone and caused them to feel exhausted in the aftermath of the blast, which could thankfully be cured of with Teddie's Energy Shower spell. It didn't seem to be using its 'Spell', which is strange. Nonetheless, despite the circumstances, the team attempted to destroy the shell… which didn't take too long since it wasn't too durable.

The blocky shell soon exploded when it reached its limit, downing the Shadow inside that acted as its core. The Investigation Team took this opportunity to do an all-out attack, dealing some good damage… and now the Shadow had the chance to retaliate again. It has the same ability to attack twice, this time casting Dekaja that nullified their increase in strength… and then casted Red Wall on itself. Yu felt instinct telling him that they needed to guard themselves, so he quickly told everyone that were fighting with him to do that. "Everyone, guard yourselves!"

His warning came just in time as Mitsuo's Shadow casted Mabufula, hitting everyone with ice. The Shadow merely stared at them in silence for a few moments. " ** _…There's no need to be scared. It'll be quick._** " It then casted Stagnant Air to increase the team's chances of being affected by status ailments before casting Whisper, which caused it to begin regenerating its blocky form… "The shell takes time to finish forming… destroy it before that happens!" Rise alerted the team.

Yu looked at everyone. "You heard her – let's attack it before it can get back at us!"

The others nodded, and began using their strongest attacks to try and stop Mitsuo's Shadow from forming Mitsuo the Hero again. By their luck, they were able to stop it in time which caused the blocks to explode again, downing it and giving the Investigation Team a chance to do another all-out attack. The Shadow didn't seem to understand why they would want to destroy it as it got back up into the air. " ** _Why…? Don't you want to be at ease? I… I need proof that I exist… that's why… I have to kill you!_** "

At those words, it began regenerating its shell even faster. This time, the team wasn't able to stop the Shadow in time, which resulted in it being encased by the same 8-bit-like shell again. Yu spotted a screen appearing above the Shadow, bearing an ominous message: 'Mitsuo leveled up!'. It soon disappeared… now that the tables have turned, the Shadow started its attack again by using the 'Spell' option, which used a spell called Gigadyne on everyone… and that hurt.

Kanji was low on health by the end of it, barely supporting himself up using his iron plate weapon. "Guh…!"

"Kanji!" Yu glanced at the blonde boy in concern and decided to stop attacking for a moment to cast a quick Diarama spell on him. It healed Kanji just enough, but it put the silver-haired boy in harm's way as he was blasted away by a bomb the Shadow 'threw'. "Aaargh!" Crying out in pain, Yu now felt like he just got his life sucked out of him… a kind of weight settled in his limbs, making it difficult for him to push himself up from the dry ground underneath him. He could hear shouts of worry from the other three fighting alongside him, especially Yosuke and Kanji's voices.

Eventually he felt someone grab him by the hand, followed by the sensation of his body being pulled up by his arm.

"There we go..." It was… none other than Kanji who helped him up. At that realisation, Yu's face flushed a soft red in embarrassment and surprise. He thought Yosuke was the one who got him up, but the brunette boy was apparently busy distracting the Shadow. "T-thanks." He gave the younger boy a grateful smile, savouring the gentle warmth of their hands for but a moment before finally letting go of Kanji's hand. "Come on, we got a Shadow to beat," he said, his resolve unwavering in light of the situation.

Getting a nod back, the silver-haired boy then focused back on Mitsuo's Shadow, just missing the slight reddish hue on Kanji's own cheeks.

With the team back up, they focused their efforts on destroying the Shadow's shell and promptly did one more all-out attack when they succeeded in doing so, the process downing the Shadow as a result. A few more spells and strong attacks, and soon the Shadow floated down to the ground lifelessly as darkness poured out of its form in defeat. Its form turned a colour of stone and was blown away by the breeze in the area, leaving behind the Shadow's original form.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Investigation Team went to check on Mitsuo who was just getting up. "Ugh…"

Yosuke crossed his arms, "Finally awake, huh? You've been a major pain in our ass," he commented sarcastically. Mitsuo just looked at everyone, confused. "What the…? You guys… wh-who the hell are you guys!?" he questioned with a yell. Yu tried to calm him down. "We just came to talk to you, that's all."

"Talk… to me…?"

"The police are after you. They think you're the one who killed King Moron and the other two," Yosuke continued, a serious look on his face. "So…? Are you the killer?"

"All the cases… all on me…" Mitsuo merely smiled, beginning to laugh. "Aha… hahaha! That's right, I did it!"

Kanji gritted his teeth, mad that this guy really did do all that. "You piece of shit!"

"And not just that bastard Morooka… that stupid announcer and that Konishi bitch, too! I killed all of them! It was all me!" Mitsuo gave them a twisted sort of grin as he said that. Right as he did however, his Shadow dissipated into motes of darkness, leaving nothing in its absence. Rise stared in shock at the spot his Shadow used to be. "Wh-Where did it go!?"

This has never happened before.

"What's going on…?" Chie murmured worriedly, watching as Mitsuo turned around to notice his Shadow was gone. He just laughed again, glad that it disappeared. "Ha… hahaha… it's gone… that frickin' monster disappeared… take that, son of a bitch…" Then his exhaustion caught up with him, making him fall to his knees. "Urgh…"

Still, if he's the killer, they can't just leave him like this…

"He's exhausted… we need to hurry and get him out of here!" Rise told the others. As compelling as it was to leave him here, they still had so many questions that needed answers, and only Mitsuo could give them what they seek. Thus, they hurried out of the dungeon with the boy in tow…

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the real world, they gathered around Mitsuo who they made sit on the floor.

Mitsuo lifted his head up to look around in a daze. "Where… am I…?" he murmured weakly, which made Yu raise an eyebrow. "…Can't you tell?" This guy should be able to know that this was the real world… he wouldn't have killed the two previous victims otherwise… and yet, he held his head in pain and puzzlement. "Why… am I here…? What the hell are you guys…? S-Stop it… why did the TV… nngh…"

"H-hey…" Chie was a bit concerned. It was strange to see Mitsuo be this weak after he just announced himself to being the killer… but Teddie just wanted answers. "You seem confused from everything that happened. But we have a bunch of questions for you. First off, why did you do all this!? Answer in ten words or less!" he questioned the boy. Mitsuo looked at him for a moment. "Haha… what the hell? Is that a costume…? Haha, what a loser… get outta my face, you freak…" he told the bear off in a raspy voice.

Teddie stomped his feet in anger. "F-Freak!? Grrrrr!"

Yosuke sighed. "Hold it, Teddie. You're not helping." He then looked at Yu, nodding at his best friend to ask the questions. The silver-haired boy focused back on Mitsuo, deciding to ask and clear the confusion up. "Did you really do it?"

"Get off my back… I already told you… I did it…" Mitsuo answered him with a blank stare. At his answer, Rise just couldn't understand why he would do it. "Why…? How could you do such a thing?" she questioned the boy in a quiet voice. "Three people are dead because of you…" Chie added, feeling just about the same as the idol. However… Mitsuo began to laugh again, taking the Investigation Team aback. "Ha… ha… haha… hahahahahaha! Everyone's talking about it, right? It's a huge deal… and I did it! All of it! All by myself…!"

"You just wanted the attention…?" Yosuke stared at him in disbelief. "Then why did you target me and the others? How did you kidnap us?" Yukiko questioned him in a serious tone. Mitsuo looked at her and gave her the same creepy smile after gasping for a moment from laughing so much. "Whoa… look who it is… haha, hey Yuki… after all this time… now you wanna talk to me? Haha… what bullshit."

"Answer me! If you held a grudge against me, that's fine… but why the others!?"

"Ha… haha, what a joke… you're so desperate it hurts… I didn't care who I attacked… everyone pisses me off…"

"You what…?" Those words appeared to have made something snap within Yosuke as his face turned furious. "…gotta be… kidding me…! You killed Senpai over nothing!? …You son of a bitch!!"

Kanji seemed to have enough meanwhile, stepping closer to Mitsuo with a dark look in his eyes. "I hope you're ready to get what's comin' to you…" he muttered. The guy on the floor stared up at him with a mocking smile, chuckling. "What, you gonna kill me?"

Yukiko's eyes widened at the blonde boy's words, hoping he wasn't actually going to do that. "Kanji-kun!?"

Instead, Kanji grabbed Mitsuo by his shirt's collar and lifted him up. "Kill you…? It ain't gonna be that easy, you piece of shit. What you did can never be taken back. No, you're gonna own up to your crimes and pay for what you did. You ain't gonna be allowed to kick the bucket until you understand exactly what it is you've done!" All he got as a response was a huff from the guy. He then let go of Mitsuo's shirt, letting the boy fall back onto the floor with his head hung low.

Yosuke was nearly in a rage from what he heard. "Why, dammit…? Why did she have to die because of this bastard…?"

Kanji looked at the brunette boy. "Dude… the cops."

"Huh?"

"What're you waiting for!? Call the damn police!"

"Y-Yeah… you're right…"

Chie glanced at Yosuke in concern. "Yosuke…" This must be hard for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The police were called to catch Mitsuo, and they did arrest him.  The Investigation Team now sat together at one of the bigger tables in the food court, having a talk.

"At least Adachi-san seemed happy…" Chie commented, not looking as happy as she should be at the fact that the murderer was caught. Yosuke had the same feeling. "Well, I guess this means our work is done…" he said slowly, letting it sink into his head for a moment.

"He did it all to draw attention… I can't get my head around that. It's just wrong. I mean, not that it would've been okay if he had a better reason…"

"I know… don't worry."

Rise was smiling in relief despite that. "It's all over… let's leave the rest to the police."

"My world will be peaceful again now." Teddie was also happy since now no more people would be thrown into the other world. Yukiko smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm happy for you. We really went through a lot…"

"Like scoring with guys!"

In an instant, the black-haired girl's smile turned into an annoyed look. "Oh, come on…! Will you ever let it go?"

"What…? Scoring with guys!?" Kanji stared at her in shock. He didn't know that Yukiko's Shadow was all about 'scoring with guys' since he was the second to be saved by the team after she joined…

"Y-You don't need to know the details. I'm sure you'd like us to forget the sauna incident too… right, Kanji-kun?"

"Urgh… w-well…"

"That's not fair… I wanted to see everyone else's too!" Rise spoke up, disappointed. Yosuke perked up at that. "That's right. We three are the only ones who saw everyone's secret," he said, meaning himself, Chie and Yu.

Chie looked at the silver-haired boy since he was the only one who saw Yosuke's Shadow. "Hey, so what was Yosuke's like? C'mon, it's about time you told us," she asked him. "Well…" Yu felt a little nervous as he found himself being stared by everyone, so he tried to remember what happened at that time. Now that he wondered about it, he noticed that Yosuke's Shadow was essentially the simplest one out of the others'. It didn’t have an outfit of its own, and the place it appeared in was really Saki Konishi's reality. "…it's pretty much like the rest, is all I can say."

Yosuke then tried to change the subject with a nervous smile. "C-C'mon, let's leave it at that!" He looked at Yu, remembering how his best friend got his Persona… which was strange, in a sense. "Speaking of which, nothing really happened in your case, huh?"

"Seems like it…" Even Yu pondered on it a few times before but decided to let it go. Better his secrets go unlearned by the others than to go through the same thing everyone did…

"Really… wait, really? Is there something special about Senpai after all?" Rise was genuinely surprised to hear that. "Sensei is da man!" Teddie commented with a bright smile. However, Kanji realised a small thing. "But now that the case is solved, we won't be calling you 'Leader' anymore, will we…?" he said, gazing at Yu with… melancholy in his eyes. Chie deflated at that. "Oh yeah… it's kinda sad."

"It's alright… I'm just glad I was able to lead you to this day's success." Yu gave them all a comforting smile, but even he felt a little sad that they wouldn’t be a team again – they'll just be teenagers who became friends under strange circumstances. Everyone fell quiet as that thought remained in their heads for a small while… and at that moment, an idea came to Rise's mind. "Hey, why don't we have a celebration?" she suggested. "We always have a wrap party after we're done shooting. It's fun, and it'll help give us some closure."

Chie smiled when she heard the idea, agreeing with it. "Oooh, a party! That sounds great! Let's go all out!"

"Ooh, ooh! I wanna go to Yuki-chan's house!" Teddie said excitedly. "Gorgeous dinner, hot springs, table tennis, yukata! Geisha, Fujiyama, full wootness!"

…Everyone just stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Is he that excited to go the Yukiko's home?

"You're right, Yukiko-senpai's family runs a hot springs inn…" Kanji murmured, recalling that the Amagi Inn was run by Yukiko's family. "A-A hot spring that… Yukiko-senpai bathes in too…?" His face reddened slightly at the thought of it, making almost everyone stare at him the same way they did with Teddie, Yosuke especially. "Hey, keep it to yourself… you're sounding like a creep."

Yu felt that same tightness in his chest and sour taste in his mouth, similar to how he did when he spotted the blonde boy staring at Naoto the day they discussed about Mitsuo.

Is this…?

God, how far has his feelings gone by now?

Biting the inside of his mouth, he shook his head a little to dispel the feeling and focused back on the conversation.

"W-Well, it sounds like fun, but I don't think it's possible today…" Yukiko told them guiltily. Chie knew why. "Yeah, it's summer vacation. All the rooms must be occupied," she commented. Hearing that, Teddie's grin fell. "We can't do a sleepover…?" he asked dejectedly.

"Maybe next time. I promise." Yukiko's words put a smile on the light blonde boy's face.

Yosuke had another idea. "Hey, why don't we hit your place instead?" he then asked Yu. "My place…?" The silver-haired boy looked at his best friend in surprise.

"Oh, but will your uncle get suspicious? Like, 'Why are you all celebrating?'."

Yu took a moment to think it over. Of course his uncle would be suspicious, Dojima was a damn detective for crying out loud… but with Mitsuo's arrest, it's likely that he wouldn't even be home tonight, so they're free to do this small party. "…No, there shouldn't be a problem. Let's do it." He gave them a nod of agreement, which made Rise smile happily. "Great! Let's head over right away!"

Chie then came to the same conclusion the silver-haired boy did just a moment ago. "Oh yeah, if your uncle's a detective, he might not come home tonight… Nanako-chan might be getting hungry." At her concern for Yu's cousin, an idea came to Yukiko's mind. "Hey, then why don't we make dinner together?" she also suggested.

Rise then looked at Chie in awe. "Wow… are you good at cooking, Senpai?"

"W-Well… sort of?" The brunette girl answered hesitantly. Yosuke stared at her in dismay. "What are you saying…? Did you already forget the tragedy of the school campout!?" Now that took Yukiko and Chie off guard. "W-We already told you that was an accident!" Chie retorted, trying to keep their pride. Yukiko nodded at that. "She's right! We just got a couple of the ingredients wrong!"

Yosuke and Yu's faces paled at the memory of the school campout. What they just tasted that very day was the worst of the worst… even spoiled food seemed much better than whatever monstrosity was cooked by those two girls. At least the silver-haired boy had the idea of bringing extra ingredients to make a proper batch of curry, otherwise they would've starved that night. "Guys, please don't do this, I'm begging you… I don't need another trauma to deal with…" Yosuke begged to the others weakly, hoping to whatever deity was out there to let him escape this impending food disaster.

"Hey, I'm a good cook too!" Rise added. She then looked at Yu with a cheerful smile. "I'll make something for you, Senpai."

…Somehow, Yu felt like there were alarms ringing in his head. That doesn’t sound good, even if the idol said she was a good cook.

"Tadaaaah! Teddie has a great idea!" Teddie spoke up, his sapphire blue eyes shining now that he had one more idea in his head. "Let's have a cooking battle! The winner will be crowned Iron Cook Inaba!" And again, his suggestion made everyone stare at him the same way they did the first time around. Yosuke was growing anxious for a light at the end of this disastrous tunnel. "A cooking battle? Now I'm even more worried…"

"S-Sure, that sounds like fun." Chie seemed nervous though. Rise smiled teasingly at her. "Aww, but I'll win hands-down. You sure you want to make it that easy?"

Yukiko and Chie looked at her in shock.

Yosuke glanced at Yu. "Dude, listen to me. For the sake of our stomachs, you have to cook something too. Help us, Yu Narukami! You're our only hope…" he begged, sounding even more desperate. Chie stared at the silver-haired boy with a sudden fierceness in her eyes. "Then you can represent the guys' team. Nanako-chan will be our judge!"

"H-hey…" Yu was growing flustered at the growing competitiveness he could see flaring among the three girls in the team. But seriously, he's the only guy – well, they thought he was - cooking? If Rise was as good as she said she was, then she might as well be his only competition…

"I can be a taster too!" Kanji spoke up with a casual smile. "Teddie can be a tester too! At the end, you're supposed to say, 'That was delicious!' right?" Teddie said, joining in on the judges team too. He got no response as Chie stood up suddenly, ready to do her best in this cooking contest. "Woo! I'm getting all fired up! Alright! Let us advance forth into the grocery section downstairs! Chaaaarge!"

With that, they went to the grocery department in Junes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Firstly, they had to call Nanako and see what she wanted.

Everyone gathered around Yu as he dialled up the Dojima residence house number on his cell, waiting for an answer. The silver-haired boy smiled as he soon heard his cousin's voice.

_"Hello, Dojima residence…"_

"Nanako, it’s me, Yu."

_"…Oh, hi."_

"Just asking, is your dad going to be busy tonight?"

_"Yeah, he said he's gonna be late today."_

"Well, I'm calling to tell you that me and my friends are going to cook dinner for you tonight."

_"Huh…? Dinner? You're all going to cook?"_

"Yep."

"Ask Nanako-chan what she wants for dinner!" Chie told him. Yu nodded and asked that to Nanako.

_"What do I want…? Um… anything's fine."_

Yukiko wanted a definite answer though. "She's just being modest! Ask her again." So he did.

_"Well, umm… an omelette. I wanna eat omelette with fried rice."_

"An omelette with fried rice… got it. We'll be coming home soon to cook you some dinner, okay Nanako?"

_"Okay, I'll be waiting!"_

Yu ended the call there, noting how his cousin seemed to be looking forward to the dinner event. He glanced at Yosuke who looked quite happy at Nanako's voice. "Fried rice omelette… an excellent choice, Nanako-chan. With a dish that simple, I doubt we'll get a second helping of Mystery Food X." His comment made the three girls in the group stare off in silence. "…Huh? What's wrong?"

"…N-Nothing," Chie replied with a slight stutter. "Alright, let's go get our ingredients." She, Yukiko and Rise went off to get their ingredients, but… they all went off in different directions. The three remaining boys watched them go on their own ways, eliciting a worried reaction from Yosuke. "Uh… if they're all making the same thing, why are they splitting up to different parts of the market…?" he murmured, grimacing at the realisation that these girls might have no idea on how to cook a proper omelette. Sighing, he turned to face his best friend. "Looks like you'll need all the help I can give you… hey, what kind of omelette are you making? I'll go get the ingredients for ya."

"Hm…" Yu guessed that a regular old omelette dish would do – more specifically, an Asian American omelette which was soy flavoured. It's for Nanako, after all. Now that he made his choice, he told the brunette boy the ingredients he would need.

"Got it! I'll go grab 'em real quick." Yosuke rushed off to get what the silver-haired boy needed, knowing that at least _one_ of the edible – not to mention tasty – dishes would be made by none other than Yu Narukami. He's not going to screw that up if it meant having something good for Nanako as opposed to Chie and Yukiko's cooking.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a while, everyone brought their basic ingredients to the cart.

Yosuke stared at the cart's contents for a moment. Soon, he spotted something amongst the many ingredients in it. "Foie gras!?" How the hell would that fit in an omelette?

"Quite an eye you got there, Senpai." Rise smiled at him. "It's a must-have for my special omelette! Don't worry, I'll let you have a taste. Ooh, or maybe I could spoon feed you." She chuckled at that idea. "I heard last time you choked down something so awful that words couldn't describe it…" She actually put on some kind of motherly voice as she said that…

The brunette boy stared at the ceiling, shutting his eyes tightly at the memory. "It was horrible…" he muttered, unaware of the glares he got from Chie and Yukiko.

"You poor dears… who would do such a horrible thing…?"

Now Rise got the other end of the glares.

"R-R-Rise-san? This is gonna be the only chance you get to gloat, is that clear?" Chie told the idol, attempting to soften her words although she was burning up inside. Yet Yukiko didn't hold back. "…I'll crush you with one strike."

The dark brunette girl didn't seem worried, though.

Just then, Kanji arrived and grinned at the sight of the three girls looking like they were inches away from entering a catfight. "Whoa… you guys look like you're ready to enter the Ultimate Frying Championship," he commented. Yu saw the bottle in the blonde boy's hand… and when he noticed the words on the label, he quickly averted his gaze and tensed up. That's…

Yukiko glared at the younger boy. "Kanji-kun! That's alcohol!"

"Huh…? Oh, uh… hahaha…" Kanji hurriedly went back to put the bottle back where it used to be. In the meantime, Chie looked around to realise that Teddie wasn’t around. "By the way, where's Teddie?"

Right at that moment, they heard Teddie's voice from nearby. "Miss? Am I allowed to eat this?"

Yu and Yosuke looked over by a rack, seeing Teddie standing by a food sample tray stand that was being handled by a lady. "Of course you can, dear. Eat as much as you like!" The woman told him with a friendly smile.

"You're such a nice lady. Is this one cooked already?"

The lady giggled. "This one's ready too. Oh my, are you hungry for more? Here… I'll open this one too."

One might imagine that they could see Teddie practically sparkling with handsomeness under the fluorescent lights of the store. In which, he is. "You're so beautiful…" His compliment made the woman blush, but she quickly shook her head. "Oh my, no! No, I mustn't! I've got a husband and a son!"

"But I really want this meat… and I want you to cook it, Miss."

"Ohhh, I couldn't possibly. The manager would get so upset."

Yosuke gritted his teeth at the sight. "I'm gonna knock the stuffing outta that bear…"

"Do that after we finish the cooking contest," Yu told him plainly. Teddie was still a judge for it, after all – wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the light blonde boy's criticism just for being beaten up, if the brunette boy was really serious about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, the Dojima residence was lively as the whole Investigation Team got busy with the cooking competition.

The three girls were by the kitchen counter, doing whatever they had to for their omelettes while the other three boys chatted, with Yu busy mixing the egg mixture for his omelette in the meantime. He listened in on Teddie and Nanako's conversation as well, noticing how the former seemed saddened at the thought of going back to the other world. After he finished preparing his plate of omelette and fried rice, he asked the two guys with him to watch over it while he went over to Nanako and Teddie.

The light blonde boy looked up at him with a melancholic gaze. "Sensei… you kept your promise with me… so I should go back over there…" he murmured quietly. Yu gave him a soft smile. "Hey, don't worry about it." There's no way he'll send Teddie back to that upside-down world all alone…

"B-But… a promise is a promise… it's not good to break them…"

"Still, you promised Nanako… and it'll be lonely without you."

"S-Sensei…" Teddie smiled happily at him. Then he looked at Nanako. "My promise with Nana-chan… I made a promise to play with her… can I really stay here…? It wasn't just my promise. Nana-chan made it with me… I'm really… really happy…" He soon gazed happily at Yu again, his eyes glistening with joyful tears. "Thank you…!"

"Teddie… you're always welcome to stay." The silver-haired boy smiled back at him. He felt the _Star Social Link_ grow stronger from their small talk…

Yosuke went to see what they were talking about, standing next to Yu. Teddie looked at the brunette boy. "Yosuke… I have a new promise to keep… s-so, I wanna stay here a little longer! Is that okay with you, Sir!?"

"Huh? What're you talking about? You're not going anywhere," Yosuke told him with a raised eyebrow. "You can't just quit your job like that. In any case, if you left—" He was cut off by Rise's voice from behind them.

"It's reeeeeaaaaadyyyy! Incoming food! Out of the way, Senpai!" The idol bumped into the brunette boy, pushing him aside. In her hands was a plate of omelette and fried rice, though the omelette had an… ominous reddish colour to it.

"Whoa! Ow!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone sat at the table in the living room which now had four plates of omelettes and fried rice on it, all four done by different people for Nanako to try.

"Bon appetit!" Rise exclaimed with a smile. But to let Nanako try all this might be dangerous for her… especially with Yukiko and Chie's omelettes. Yosuke spoke up about it. "W-Well, wait a sec. Asking Nanako-chan to jump in and try these for us is kinda… unethical," he said while looking at Chie and Yukiko. The two girls noticed where he was looking at and glared at him. "D-Don't look at us like that!"

Kanji seemed to get the idea. "Ohhh… so it's our job to taste it first, to make sure we can keep it down."

"Hey! That's mean!" Rise said, frowning. She looked at Yosuke and smiled again, this time with confidence. "Then try mine first, Yosuke-senpai. It's guaranteed delicious!"

"You don't mind me going first? Actually, I've been looking forward to yours." Yosuke gave the idol an excited look. "I mean, Risette cookted it herself. Can you imagine how many guys would kill me if they found out? Well then, chow time!" Using his spoon, the brunette boy took a bite of the omelette and fried rice Rise made, which Yu noted was the one that was strangely reddish looking. Once he put it into his mouth, his seemed to cringe. "Urgh… I-I… can't give this to Nanako-chan…"

"Ooh! It's so delicious that you won't let anyone else have a bite!?"

...In that case, Yu guessed that he should try eating Rise's dish too. Picking up another spoon, he scooped up some of Rise's omelette and took a bite of it. In an instant, he blanched at the taste – it was spicy, but it's as if he had lava boiling in his mouth! He can't even taste the foie gras at all… and the longer it stayed in his mouth, the more it began to taste like iron. A dull pain started to grow in his mouth… if he still had his sense of taste after this, then it's a damn miracle he did.

He can't give this to Nanako.

Yukiko saw the looks on both his and Yosuke's faces and smiled. Rise's dish must not be that good then. "Here, try mine next."

"I'll take this one," Kanji said, taking a big scoop of Yukiko's omelette. Yosuke stared at him in horror, watching the blonde boy eat it. "K-Kanji… that's a lot…"

For a moment, Kanji didn't say anything. He took a few more bites of the omelette, not exactly seeming like he would throw up but he wasn't exactly happy at the taste either. Yukiko got a little nervous at the silence. "H-Hey, say something."

"Well… uh… how do I put this…?" Kanji finally spoke up, eyebrows furrowing. "It tastes really, um… boneless…?"

"What!? That's not a word you use to describe taste! Does it taste good or not!? Tell me!"

Yu wondered if the black-haired girl had improved in her cooking – his time with her did reveal that she has been learning from the cooks in the Amagi Inn… he decided to risk his well-being and took a spoonful of Yukiko's omelette, eating it. One thing for sure, it was a huge improvement from the so-called 'Mystery Food X'… but he can't sense any flavours in particular. After taking a few more seconds to taste it, it hit him that he actually didn't taste anything at all. Not even the regular taste of fried omelette or the starchy feeling of rice was on his tongue. How the hell is this possible?

Kanji continued to comment on the dish, seeing that his senpai reacted just like him. "Not good, that's for sure. It tastes like… like I'm eating plain oatmeal… it's pretty impressive that you put so many ingredients into a dish and it came out tasting like nothing."

Yukiko frowned at them both. "Y-Your palate just isn't refined enough!"

She's still trying to save face… Yu and Kanji looked at each other for a moment, knowing that she wasn't going to accept the result she got. The silver-haired boy couldn't help but sheepishly smile at Kanji due to the situation, even if they were still on the receiving end of Yukiko's glare. Somehow, he saw a hint of redness on the blonde boy's cheeks… or was he just seeing things? He did get a smile back, but eventually the younger boy averted his gaze down to the floor to avoid letting Yu see his face.

At that time, Kanji was feeling conflicted at what just happened. His face was burning up from that smile… is he really feeling this way? It's wrong, but…

...He's not sure if it is.

Meanwhile, Nanako actually reached over the table to try out Yukiko's omelette. "…I think it tastes good," she said with a small smile. Yukiko's frown turned into a smile, happy that the little girl thought well of her dish. "Nanako-chan…!"

Seeing that, Chie wanted someone to try hers. "O-Okay… try mine next. Urgh… I dunno about this… but I think it'll taste good! This time for sure!"

"I'll give it a whirl," Teddie offered as he started trying out Chie's omelette, which looked… brownish. The brunette girl looked at him nervously. "H-How is it…?" she asked. Then with a smile, Teddie answered her, "Wow, this tastes awful!"

Chie's eyes widened at his words. Everyone else stared at him like he was crazy for saying that, which, he might as well be.

"You have to try this, Yosuke," said Teddie to the brunette boy next to him. Yosuke held in a grimace. "Dude, not after you say that…" Nonetheless, he forced himself to try Chie's omelette, taking only a moment to know why Teddie said so. "Ahhh… I see…"

Again, Yu also took a bite of Chie's omelette… and it's just awful. That's the only word he could use to describe it.

"Well, um… it's a huge improvement over the curry…"

It did nothing to lift Chie's spirits up as she hung her head dejectedly. "Yeah, thanks for the consolation… I feel soooo much better…" she murmured, not seeing Nanako reach over to try her omelette. The little girl then looked at Chie with a smile, just like she did with Yukiko's. "I think this tastes good too."

Chie looked at her in surprise. "Nanako-chan…!"

Feeling curious, Yukiko went ahead and tried her best friend's omelette. "Oh yeah, they're right…" She started to laugh. "They're totally right! It tastes awful! Ahahahaha!"

The brunette girl glared at her. "Then try Rise-chan's! I bet you anything mine tastes better than hers!"

So Yukiko did after getting a smile from Rise, and her reaction was instantaneous. "U-Urhg…" She fell back in a heap as the spiciness of the omelette hit her like a bomb. Rise stared at the black-haired girl's form in shock. "S-Senpai!?"

"Sure enough… one strike." Kanji could only feel somewhat thankful he didn't try out the idol's omelette. Yosuke tried to lighten the mood. "Well, Yukiko and Chie's didn't taste good either… but at least theirs didn't cause any casualties… haha…" It obviously wasn't working since Rise looked at everyone, flustered at the situation. "I-It's a taste too subtle for kids! It's a mature flavor! You guys are just kids… I, I…" She sniffled… then began to cry, covering her face with her hands. "Waaaaaaah…"

The three boys felt bad about it, but it's the truth…

Nanako then tried out Rise's omelette, wincing at the spiciness. "Ngh…!" Somehow, she had the strength to smile at the idol. "It's spicy, but it's still good."

Rise let her hands fall from her face, surprised at the little girl's words. "Nanako-chan…!" She then smiled, as if she never cried in the first place. "I knew it! Nanako-chan's the most mature person in this room!"

"C-Crocodile tears!?" Chie exclaimed in shock. Rise was faking it this whole time?

…Crocodile tears aside, there was still one more omelette dish left to try.

"Oh yeah, didn't you make one too, Senpai?" Kanji asked Yu with a small smile. "W-well, I did…" Yu nodded slowly, feeling his cheeks burn at the attention from the blonde boy. It was nothing special, but it's probably the only edible one among the four dishes…

Nanako was excited to hear that her cousin did cook an omelette dish for her. "You did!? Ooh…" She took a spoonful of the omelette and fried rice that she hasn't tasted yet, tasting it. Her smile brightened in awe and wonder the moment the flavour hit her. "This is really good! I've never had an omelette with fried rice this good! It's amazing!" She continued to eat it extremely cheerfully, which made Yu smile at the sight. It made him feel great to see her enjoy it.

After a while, the little girl finished the omelette her cousin made.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The table was cleared after Nanako finished, and everyone still sat at it.

"Are you full, Nanako-chan?" Chie asked the little brunette girl with a smile. Nanako nodded in response, smiling back cheerfully.

"We're still starving…" Yosuke muttered, his arms crossed. This made Chie glare at him. "If you're so hungry, then help yourself to an awful-tasting omelette! Hmph!" She looked away from him with an indignant huff. At that, the brunette boy got up in a hurry. "U-Uh, I have a suggestion… you guys know about the festival they're holding in the shopping district, right? Why don't we all go?"

Rise brightened up at the idea. "Oh, that sounds good!" she said, nodding. Teddie was surprised to hear about this festival. "Whoa! Does that mean the girls will be wearing yukata!?"

"A festival…" Nanako thought about it for a moment. Seeing the look on her face, Yosuke smiled. "We'll bring Nanako-chan along too."

That made her look at them all in surprise. "I can come?"

"Of course." Yu smiled at her, nodding. He wouldn't even imagine of going to a festival without bringing her along. Nanako cheered happily at her cousin's confirmation. "Really!? Yay!"

"That settles it, then," Yosuke concluded, and they all nodded in agreement. Kanji grinned at the thought of going to the festival. "Festival food always tastes great for some reason, even if it ain't anything fancy. Whew… we'll finally be able to get some edible food for once."

His comment made Yukiko, Chie and Rise lower their heads, as if they wanted to shrink away from the shame of their cooking skills.

…Well, they all made a promise that they'll go to the festival at the shopping district on the 20th of August. Since the culprit has finally been caught, all they could do now was wait for the police to do their work… but for some reason, Yu felt like there were still so many things that needed answers. How the Midnight Channel began, the power of these Personas, the whole 'other world' thing… those questions may go on forever without ever bearing an answer to them.

All he could do now was wait.


	32. Calmer Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer vacation goes on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even more Social Link GO! Ahhh can't help it, that's how I'm doing it in my playthrough... and I'm using a guide to help me plan out more... welp, I'm already trash from the start. Aaaanyway, next chapter would probably have that summer festival. Maybe. >:)

Since there wasn't much to do but just hang out and do work in town while waiting, Yu wandered around for a while the first day after Mitsuo was arrested. The second day, he met up with Yukiko in front of the bookstore and decided to hang out for the day. They went to the shrine for a small talk… but for some reason, he could see that she seemed embarrassed for some reason, her cheeks slightly red.

"Uh… umm. Do you remember Kasai-san, the waitress? She seems to have told everyone about you… now, they're saying I sh-should bring you home… adults are so quick to poke fun at me… it's such a hassle, isn't it…?" Yukiko told him in embarrassment. "B-But of course my family runs an inn, so guests come by all the time… maybe next time, you can just come in…"

Before Yu could say something, a middle-aged man dressed in a pale golden-coloured suit approached them. "Oh, Yuki-chan!"

Yukiko got up from where they sat on the steps, acting like her usual self again. "Oh, the deputy mayor."

"The people at the inn seemed very busy. Is something going on?"

"Huh…? Oh no! Today was the interview for the travel show!"

"On TV? That's great! You'll try and make Inaba look inviting, won't you?" The deputy mayor then left, leaving the two teenagers alone. Yukiko looked at the silver-haired boy and apologised. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

Admittedly, it's a little surprising after what happened the last time a TV crew came by… "An interview, huh?" Yu asked her.

The black-haired girl nodded. "Uh-huh. It's for a travel show. It looks like a serious show, and we agreed to it because my mother and I won't be filmed. But they need me to help clean, so I have to go now." She still looked apologetic… "I understand," Yu told her, knowing the hassle of preparing a place before a TV crew arrived. It's always a huge rush of workers and cleaners, especially when an event was being held by the company to either reveal a new line of clothes or a celebration. Of course, he had to help out during those times as a manager of sorts if he couldn't use school work as an excuse. "Go ahead, we'll see each other next time?"

Yukiko nodded. "Of course. Goodb—" She was cut off by a familiar voice sounding from ahead of them both.

"There you are, Yuki-chan!" It was Kasai, and she seemed worried about something. The black-haired girl wondered why. "Kasai-san? What's wrong?"

"That TV crew came, but don't go to the inn! It was a trick! It's those people from that 'news of the weird' show! And I think they're looking for you! So stay put, you got that?"

Upon hearing that, Yu got up as he realised the seriousness of the situation. The whole TV interview was a trick then… Yukiko slowly nodded, her eyes widened in shock. "Huh… o-okay, but…"

Before they could do anything, a man's voice spoke from ahead of them this time. "There you are." That man and his crew from the other day approached them, smirking at Yukiko. "No use in hiding, future manager of the cursed inn."

"C-Cursed inn…?"

"We know all about that murder case. Mayumi Yamano stayed at your place, right? And you guys've been hurting what with the drop in visitors, huh? So I came up with a great idea! 'The High-School Manager's Embarrassing Struggle: Renovating the Cursed Inn!' How's that grab you? The customers will be pouring in, I tell ya."

"…I don't understand what you…"

"I want you to be the star. When we introduce the hot springs, let us film a little bathing scene, eh? 'The Modest Manager's Steamy Service!' Our ratings will go through the roof!"

One of the TV crew members spoke up with a sleazy grin. "That sounds like a great idea!"

Bastard.

Yu narrowed his eyes at the man and his crew. What shitheads… there's always going to be a pack of reporters who had the same attitude and mindset as this shady guy. He's met a few, and actually beat up one of them back when they had the gall to record him as the so-called 'Silver Kingpin of Tokyo' for one of their stupid news coverages when he used to be a delinquent. He got lucky that he was wearing his face mask at the time, otherwise he wouldn't be here today. That being said, he knew another way to get rid of them by using the law, but he's not sure when to speak up.

Kasai tried to say something about the whole situation. "Listen, you…" However, she was halted by Yukiko who shook her head. The black-haired girl's gaze then turned serious towards the group. "Anyway, please leave. We are not interested in your coverage."

The man frowned at her. "You're refusing?" He sighed. "Look, kid… you don't know the power of television, do you? Well, I can't blame you, living in the countryside. We're trying to help you out here. I mean, do you WANT the patrons to dry up? If you're gonna be the next manager, I'm trusting you to make the right decision here."

"I… won't be… the next manager," Yukiko murmured, eyes downcast as she finally said it.

"Oh, really? Hmmm… that so? Well, you just say the word, and I can hook you up with a better gig than running this dump of an inn. You could call yourself the 'Former High-School Innkeeper'… heheheh, I'm already liking the sound of that! Why don't you hear me out?"

Kasai was growing infuriated at this man's words. "How dare you say that to Yuki-chan…!"

Yet, Yukiko merely shook her head again. "…It's okay. Let him say what he wants. He'll go home once he gets it all out."

The shady reporter raised an eyebrow. "What the shit…? You say your inn has been going for generations, but all that means is, it's crappy and run-down. Tradition is so last year. You'd be better off if you did close up shop. I've seen the stuff you serve… small portions, decent service, nothing that stands out. If you want customers, you can't just do the same old, same old. You guys don't get that, and that's why you suck. Your waitresses don't even give any extra service unless you tip 'em, huh?

Then, an idea came to his mind. "Heyyyy… I know! Why don't you make all the waitresses young girls, and have 'em do all-day menus? Y'know, spread the futon out, then go straight in!" His cheeks were turning red at the idea… what scumbag, thinking of such perverted thoughts. "But anyways, I was saying… let's give your place a little TV-style publicity. Use your head, willya?"

This time, Kasai could only glare at the group.

Unbeknownst to them, Yukiko was also glaring the reporter and his crew. "…the hell up," she muttered at them, which made the man and the TV crew look at her with puzzlement over what she said. Suddenly, she began yelling at them. "Don't say another word about our inn! Who'd take your stupid ideas seriously!? From now on, we refuse ANY coverage from your station!"

The look of confusion on the reporter's face turned into disgust. "You… bitch! If that's how you wanna play it, I'll plaster those words all over prime time! See how that feels!"

"Go ahead, by all means. And we'll respond with an official complaint to your sponsors."

One of the TV crew members got worried at that threat. "Th-This isn't sounding good, sir," he told the reporter. The man gritted his teeth. "…Tch!" He left the two teenagers and the kimono-clad lady alone with a grumble, the TV crew following him from behind. Yukiko watched them leave, left in a daze of what she just shouted to the guy. "I said some incredible things…" She was more amazed at herself, in fact. Kasai smiled at her. "…Haha."

"Hahaha…" Yukiko laughed a little. Then, the two of them started laughing even harder, which lifted the sombre mood in the air. They calmed down quickly after a few moments. "Oh, I should contact the inn. I'll see you later!" Kasai soon left, leaving Yu and Yukiko alone.

The black-haired girl looked at the boy who has been standing there this whole time. Her cheeks turned red in embarrassment as she remembered that Yu has been there, hearing the whole thing. "I just… kind of lost it when he was insulting everyone. W-Was I scary?" she asked nervously. Yu just chuckled, shaking his head. "Are you kidding? That was cool, Yukiko. Heck, you should've said more." He didn't even need to intervene… he had a feeling that she would do well on her own if there was another encounter with those damn reporters.

"R-Really? Thank goodness…" Yukiko was relieved after hearing that, falling silent for a moment. "…There was a time not long ago when I thought, 'It'd be better off if it closed,' but it's like my home…" She lowered her gaze to the ground. "It's where everyone in my world is… I can't let it close…" Her words seemed to suggest that she might be starting to face her true feelings… and at the same time, their relationship has grown yet deeper with the _Priestess Social Link_.

Maybe this was what she truly wants… and she's finally realising it.

After a quiet moment passed, Yukiko looked at Yu with a soft rosy colour in her cheeks and smiled shyly at him. "Hey… can you stay here just a little longer…? My heart's still racing… please…"

"…Sure." The silver-haired boy smiled back hesitantly. He hoped that Yukiko wouldn't end up the same way Chie did, but it seems that it was happening all over again… he'll just have to see where this goes. So, he did stay with her for a while before walking her to the inn when it was getting late.

To reject another one of his friends is hard for him too.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Nanako wanted to talk with him so Yu spent his evening with her.

Nanako started off their talk. "Umm, you know the photo you found before? I gave it back to Dad. He looked happy and smiled at me. Big bro... I love my Dad," she told him. Yu smiled gently at her, glad that things were starting to clear up. "And he loves you, too."

The little girl smiled back cheerfully, nodding. "I think so too!" She then continued to tell her cousin what happened. "Dad didn't forget about how we used to pick flowers at Samegawa. He smiled at me and said, 'You remember, too?'. Dad loves Mom." She fell silent for a few seconds. "...I feel sorry for him, losing someone he loves."

"Well, he still has you."

"Yeah! I won't go anywhere!" Nanako smiled vigorously at Yu. "I'm glad to be Dad's daughter!" she said, giggling and smiling so happily. Through that smile, the silver-haired teenager could feel his relationship with his cousin grow even deeper… and with it, so did the _Justice Social Link_. When the whispers faded out, Yu noticed that Nanako was now looking at him with a curious smile. "...It's your turn to talk!" she said. Taking a glance at the clock, Yu also realised that it was just about Nanako's bedtime… ah, screw it. She's just gotten much happier now, he's not going to dampen the cheery mood. "Alright then."

"Yay!" The little brunette looked happy at being able to talk a little longer, which they did until it got late. Yu then put Nanako to bed before going to his room to sleep for the night like usual.

* * *

 

The next day, Chie asked if he could train with her for the day, so he did. He still felt guilty after rejecting her feelings, even if he didn't say it outright… but it's there. Nonetheless, he did his best to act like he usually would around anyone – just a regular, friendly guy. Who somehow managed to also make a girl fall for him the more he hung out with her… and to make matters complicated, he had his own heart stolen weeks ago.

Dang it.

Either way, the two of them trained at the flood plains like always.

"Okay! I think that's enough for today!" Chie seemed more enthusiastic than usual today. "Yeah... I feel like I haven't been on-form in a while!" She then turned to face Yu, having something on her mind. "Hey, uh... there's something I want to tell you. Something I've been thinking about all this time."

"What is it…?"

"...I still don't have a clue what my good points are. But... I thought I could just keep on searching. I just want to protect people. And to do it, I'll stand up and fight. I'm going to fight alongside you till the very end. I mean... we'll always be friends!"

Yu could only smile at her. "Of course." That's the only solace he could give her – just being friends. If not lovers, then just that.

"Yeah!" Chie smiled back gently. She then took something out from her pocket. "From me to you." She gave it to the silver-haired boy, who took it curiously. On closer inspection, it was a wristband, mostly black with a few white accents… "Thank you, Chie," Yu told her, accepting the gift with the smile still on his face.

"Oh, and it's new, so it's clean! It makes a matching pair with mine. Hahaha..." Chie laughed slightly with a reddish colour to her cheeks. She still liked him, even if she was rejected… "...I think this "power" of mine is what I wanted all along. The power to protect everyone... I understand now. I'm not supposed to use it to become more self-reliant... I'm supposed to use this power to protect people... Yukiko, my friends, my family, this town... and you." At those words, she felt something abruptly change within her… she looked up at the sky in surprise as a vision appeared before her eyes.

Her strong will that allowed her to accept and overcome her weakness has awakened her heart's true power... her Persona has been reborn – Tomoe soon transfigured into a new Persona, _Suzuka Gongen_. It looked a lot like Tomoe, except this time it had a black bodysuit and more armour on its form, plus silver white hair and a long, dual bladed spear. Once the vision faded out, a smile came to her lips. "My... new power..." She looked at the boy in front of her again, chuckling. "...I have you to thank for this. No matter how far apart we may be in the future, we'll be okay. This feeling won't ever change..."

Yu could sense her strong resolve… and their bond grew to its strongest potential with the _Chariot Social Link_. Whispers spoke again in his head of the formation of another genuine bond, and when they faded out, he was left with the new knowledge that he could fuse another new Persona – _Futsunushi_ of the _Chariot Arcana_.

Chie grinned at him. "Alright then, my body and mind are all worn out! Let's go get some meat, and I mean the good stuff!"

So, they both went on a meat-eater's tour of Inaba until evening fell, just like best friends…

* * *

 

The first week of summer was slowly coming to an end as Friday came along. The ongoing clear skies over Inaba was calming with the continuous chirping of crickets and other bugs… for Yu, it was finally starting to sink in that things were over. He had nothing much to worry about now, other than maybe his life back in the city… but Inaba was a long while away from Tokyo as the rural town was further down south, so things here were surprisingly warm in the summer.

It was nice.

He ended up bumping into Rise on his way down to the shopping district, and after an exchange of words, decided to hang out with her that day. In a way, he felt like that whenever he went down to the shopping district, it always resulted in him hanging out with someone by the end of the day. Coincidence, maybe? He's not exactly sure. Either way, the two of them went to Okina City at the idol's request… which took a while, like usual. When they arrived, they rode the escalator down from the station to reach the sidewalk.

Rise sighed once they were on solid ground. "Whew, that was a long trip... it'll take time to get back, so let's walk around quick!" she told Yu with a smile. The silver-haired boy noticed that she spoke like she knew the place well. "You come here often?"

"Yeah. You know there's not much of a selection where we live, right? Since I've got a mule with me today, I think it's time for a shopping spree!" The dark brunette girl looked like she's having fun… then she thought of something. "Oh, come to think of it, where does Kanji buy his clothes? You can't find pointy stuff like those at Junes, can you? Does he buy them online...?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she held her chin in thought. "Maybe he makes them...?"

"Who knows…" Yu never even thought of that… but from the looks of it, Rise was planning to buy some clothes. Their attention was soon taken by some suspicious guy approaching them. "U-Umm... a-aren't you Risette? I, I-I-I-I..." He stuttered so much, his words were barely comprehensible… before he could continue, Rise shook her head. "No... I'm not. Let's go, Senpai." She walked away from the guy, with Yu following behind her.

This repeated over the course of the day, with many other people bearing the same question in mind as they approached the idol.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Eventually they stopped at a resting place to escape the never-ending crowd of curious people.

Rise was annoyed at the whole situation. "They just never learn!" But she quickly relaxed by letting out a sigh and smiled at Yu. "But I told them! I told them today, Senpai!" She giggled cheerfully. "'No, I'm not.', 'You're mistaken.', 'I'm not Risette!'… and it's true... I'm no longer 'Risette'... I'm just an ordinary girl... which is fine with me!" She looked around with a wistful smile after that. "I never thought I'd be out in public like this. I love Inaba, Senpai... you see the same faces every day, rumours spread fast, and there are times when it gets on my last nerve... and sometimes I feel I might be better off if I was in a big city full of strangers... but even then, I love that town."

She gazed at Yu with a cheery face. "You're there, Grandma's there... and above all, there's something I can do there. Let's keep at it, Senpai!" Her passion was like a strong fire, that much Yu could sense. In a way, he could understand her even better now… as a result, the _Lovers Social Link_ grew stronger.

"I didn't see any one-pieces that clicked with me, so I guess we should go home," said Rise. "Let's go, Senpai."

Thus, they went back home to Inaba by train. Yu walked Rise to her house first before going back home, like he always did with almost everyone else he hung out with.

* * *

 

Saturday was a sudden change from the sunny skies, bringing grey clouds and heavy downpour with it. Yu had checked the weather forecast which said that tomorrow was going to be a clear day, so it was nothing much to worry about. Since it was raining, he was sure no one would be out today… so he decided to finish Margaret's request and also report to the fox about the ema request.

Going down to the shopping district with an umbrella over his head, he found the Velvet Room door at its usual spot and opened it, entering the place.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon entering the Velvet Room, Margaret noticing something about him.

"Ah…? It seems that you have completed over half of the Social Links… how wonderful for you! Well, then… please, take this. Your commitment to your Social Links will become your commitment to your 'world'… I look forward to seeing your 'world'." The platinum blonde lady gave Yu a small smile as she handed him a metal bat.

"Um… thank you." The silver-haired boy accepted it, although he wasn't sure what to do with the metal bat other than a weapon…

…Oh. It is a weapon.

Anyway, he recalled that Margaret's request this time was a Yatagarasu that knew Megido… it was a little harder to fuse one since not many Personas had that skill, but he managed to get it done. Margaret smiled at the sight of it. "Wonderful! This Yatagarasu has the Megido skill… you have successfully completed the request." She seemed to think about something for a few seconds. "…Riddle me this… what kind of Yatagarasu is a crow with three legs?"

Isn't that the answer already?

"…I accidentally told you the answer." The Velvet Room attendant realised that a moment later. "…I'm sorry I spoiled it… I wanted to give you a riddle that my master once told me. It was difficult, yet entertaining, and somewhat sad… since we've begun meeting this way, I've gained an interest in words. Anyway… thank you for showing me this exquisite card." She smiled gently at Yu as the _Empress Social Link_ grew stronger with the completion of another request.

Where one was completed, another will take its place. Margaret's smile fell, her gaze turning serious again. "Well then… for my next request… I'd like a Yatsufusa that knows Mediarama… if anyone can do this for me, it's you. I eagerly await your return."

Nodding, the silver-haired teenager quietly left the Velvet Room after excusing himself. Time to go visit the fox… it'll definitely be happy to hear that the request was fulfilled.

* * *

 

Sunday was clear again, and after getting a new ema request from the fox – this time it was a request from a girl, possibly a high school student like him, wanting to be able to converse better – he went down to the flood plains to see if Hisano would be by the riverbank again. He was quite curious about her after the last time they met… sure enough, he found her just watching the sparkling river while dressed in the same mourning clothes again.

The old lady soon noticed him standing near. "My, Yu-chan. I'm happy to see you." She smiled gently at the silver-haired teenager who smiled back. "It's nice to see you too, ma'am. Would you like to talk with me for a while…?"

"I'd be happy to."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two of them sat on the grassy floor, watching the slow flow of water in front of them while talking.

"But still..." Hisano spoke slowly, melancholy in her eyes. Yu raised an eyebrow, wanting her to continue since he didn't know what she was going to say. The old lady then looked at him with a long, soft gaze. "The more I look at you, the more you remind me of him. His nose was just a little lower than yours, and his eyes a bit smaller, and his hair was shorter... haha, he was a handsome man."

"Um… if you don't mind, who are you talking about…?" Yu asked, still puzzled at the whole 'looking like him' thing.

"Haha... my husband. He was a kind man. Quite an attractive one, too..." Hisano smiled nostalgically at the thought. However, her smile fell as she lowered her gaze. "My husband passed away recently..."

"O-oh… I'm so sorry for your loss…" The silver-haired boy felt a pang of sorrow for the old lady sitting next to him. To lose someone you love is hard on the mind as well the body… he could only wonder how Hisano could still have the strength to smile at him with such gentleness before. Eventually he was brought out of his thoughts by Hisano's question that took him aback.

"Do I look like Death to you?"

"Huh…?" Yu blinked a few times, this time wondering if he heard that right. Is she asking if she looked like 'Death'? "…No, you don't."

"I see... you mustn't become Death." Hisano smiled sadly at him. Those words and that elegiac smile made the silver-haired teenager feel like he just brushed against a heavy weight the old woman was bearing… from that, the _Death Social Link_ became stronger.

Hisano stared at him wistfully a little longer. "When I'm with you, I feel like he has forgiven me... that can't possibly be true, though... after all, I'm the one who..." She paused, falling silent for a moment. She then smiled at him like before. "...I'll see you later, Yu-chan."

"…Goodbye, ma'am." Yu bid goodbye, seeing that it was time for them to part… even if he was left with more questions about the old lady. He then left Hisano and began his walk back home…

* * *

 

Yu started the second week of August by working at the day care centre. After almost all the children were picked up, he noticed Eri finally arriving to pick Yuuta up, but the brunette child wouldn't look at her.

"Yuu-kun, let's go home... it's getting late..." Eri told her stepson in a soft voice. Yuuta still wouldn't budge when he saw a man call for his son who was standing nearby. That kid ran towards his father and left with him, which made Yuuta bite his lower lip as he looked down. He refused to look at his stepmother. "...When is he coming back?"

The question made the brunette woman slightly flustered. "Hmm? You mean your father...? Hmmmm... I don't know yet."

"...I'm going home with Ryu-kun." Yuuta then ran off, leaving Yu and his stepmother back at the resting hut. Eri could only sigh as she watched her stepson leave. "I guess he wants to see his father."

"Probably." Yu had a feeling that was the case.

"I mean... even if he goes home, he'll be alone with me, right? I'm just a stranger who barged into his life six months ago, so... I feel a bit sorry for him." Eri smiled wryly at that. "My husband kind of set me up... he only told me he had a child right before we got married... but I thought he was the one for me, so I figured the three of us would be able to work it all out. Then, right after we got married, he was sent to China on business. He keeps in contact with me, but... it doesn't change the fact that he's not here." She sighed again. "He's so inconsiderate..."

"…Do you love Yuuta?"

"Huh...? O-Of course I do..." Eri was taken off guard by the question. "But you know, there's no way a child can get along with a new mother, right? So it can't be helped…" Yet she answered that while looking the other way… "Maybe I rushed into marriage too quickly… when he told me I wouldn't have to work I thought it'd be a good idea, but..." Then she realised what she just told the silver-haired teenager, smiling at him with a small laugh. "Oh! Don't tell my husband, okay?"

…She's smiling, but Yu couldn't tell if it's a genuine one. Either way, he felt like he could understand the brunette woman a bit more… and so the _Temperance Social Link_ grew stronger. Eri then looked past the silver-haired teenager, seeing that Yuuta was gone now. "I wonder if Yuuta's home by now... I'd better be going now, too."

"Alright, ma'am." Yu nodded and let her leave first before finishing up his work for the day…

* * *

 

On Tuesday, Rise had asked him if he could spend time with her at the Aiya Diner when he went down to the shopping district, so Yu guessed that he could do that for the day. The idol was ecstatic like before when hearing that he'll go with her, and thus they went to have a bite at the diner down the road.

Once they finished, the silver-haired boy walked her back home.

Rise was pretty happy at experiencing another new thing in town. "The flavour was a little strong, but it was good. My grandma's food is kind of bland. Though tofu is good for you, so..." She stopped talking as her eyes and Yu's fell on the sight of a suspicious man standing in front of her house. Worry gripped her heart at that moment. "Is that a reporter...? Or... a stalker?"

"I can call the police if you need me to…?" Yu asked her. The dark brunette girl nodded, seeming relieved at his words. "Y-Yeah, go ahead… but still... that guy... where have I...?" She slowly approached the man, taking a closer look at him. Yu followed from behind, noting how the man was dressed in a prim and proper suit, very much unlike a stalker or a reporter. It took Rise a moment, but soon her eyes widened as it hit her who this man was. "Inoue-san, is that you!?"

Upon hearing her voice, the man looked in the direction Rise and Yu were standing at and ran towards them. "Rise-chan!"

"Wh-Why are you here...? I already settled everything with the agency...!"

"I'm here because... personally, I can't accept that. I've watched over you this entire time as your manager..."

Rise glared at her former manager. "I'm no longer a 'personality'! My private time doesn't belong to a manager anymore! Go home. If you don't, I'll call the police."

"W-Wait! Could you just think it over? I strongly believe that no other actress can play that role better than Rise Kujikawa. Your fans were looking forward to the movie, too..."

"You still want me to act...!?"

"Huh...?"

"...Anyway, I'm through with it! I have nothing to do with showbiz and all that stuff now! I..." Rise glanced at Yu who stood next to her. At that moment, her decision was made up. "I-I've decided to marry this man once we graduate high school!" she announced to her former manager who was stupefied at the statement. The shock of her words got to Yu so badly that he wasn't able to react as well as he would, even when the idol got closer to him and wrapped an arm around his, much like a couple.

Rise continued on, desperation lacing her voice. "I said before it was only a hiatus, but I've changed my mind! There's no way I'm coming back! Yu sees the real me... he's so gentle...!"

Yu glanced at the dark brunette girl who held his arm tightly, panic almost taking his mind by the storm. He had a deep urge to deny the whole thing, but seeing Rise be this desperate to escape her life as Risette was making him think otherwise. If he denied the story now, Rise might lose her chance to truly escape the celebrity life… and he can't bear the thought of denying her that chance. Mentally groaning, he forced a smile onto his lips as he went along with her story, acting and speaking like her 'loving boyfriend'.

God, what is he getting himself into now?

Rise looked at him in surprise for a moment, then a smile also appeared on her lips. "S-See? I told you…" She was noticeably relieved that Yu went along with her story. At her words, her former manager lowered his head, thinking for a good moment in silence. "…I understand. I'll go home... for today. B-But I..."

"Go away! Now!"

So, Inoue ran off.

The two teenagers stood there, watching as the man left them alone in a hurry. Rise eventually remembered that she was still holding Yu's arm and quickly let go, putting some distance between them as she stood with her back to him. "Oh... u-ummm... that was Inoue-san. He was... my manager. I'm his daughter's age, so he treated me like one of the family... but... he's a stranger now," she explained, still feeling embarrassed from her actions moments ago. She fell quiet for a few seconds before she turned around to face the silver-haired boy. "…S-Senpai, umm... I'm sorry... lying about marrying you and all..."

Holding in a sigh, Yu just gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't mind." He's lying, but he's doing it for her sake.

Rise smiled in relief upon hearing that. "Senpai... you're so mature... you really are a nice guy." A rosy hue then grew on her cheeks, her smile growing soft. "Th-This isn't good... I feel like I'm going to depend on you even more…" When she saw her senpai's hesitant act, she giggled. "...J-Just kidding!" Perhaps due to her relief, she was smiling sheepishly.

…The _Lovers Social Link_ grew stronger with it.

The idol then went towards the entrance to the tofu shop. "I wish I could spend more time with you, but... I'll save it for next time. See you later, Senpai."

"Goodbye, Rise." Yu watched as Rise walk inside, then went back home while feeling tense. He's getting more tangled up in his friends' lives, and as far as he knew, the girls that he hung out with were falling for him gradually… even Rise, if that flush was anything to come by… but she could be joking with him, for all he knew.

Shaking his head, Yu sighed heavily and continued his way back to the neighbourhood the Dojima residence was in.

* * *

 

Come Wednesday, Yu was about to leave his room when he got a call from someone – it was Kou, asking if he wanted to hang out with him. Seeing that there was no other reason not to do so, he agreed to it. He just didn't expect to have Kou decide to come to his home with Daisuke… and now he had two other guys in his room. Somehow, he felt uneasy about it.

Kou looked around with a curious eye. "Your room's… kinda weird… not too spacious, and yet not too cramped… not too dark, either…" he commented. Daisuke just shook his head, frowning at his best friend's words. "Hey, don't bitch about other people's rooms."

"Wh-What? I wasn't bitching…" Kou cleared his throat and looked at Yu with a casual smile. "…Anyway, looks like you're a little short on stuff to read. Why don't you take this?" He took out something from his bag… it was a book. "Tadaaa! 'The O-Cha Way'… want it?"

"…Sure." Yu wouldn't refuse the offer for free things, and he always did like reading books… except for the ones his grandfather would give.

"I'm sure you'll understand it. It's written to teach tea ceremony to foreigners… it was too complex for Daisuke, but that's not saying much. Haha." Kou gave him the book after telling him was it was about, which piqued Yu's curiosity. It's about the tea ceremony, but written in a way to teach foreigners about it. Well, this will be interesting. "Thanks," Yu told him, smiling back.

"Ah, it's nothing. Daisuke gave it back to me like a day after he borrowed it… now I can finally stop lugging that stupid thing around."

Laughing a little at what Kou said, the three boys chatted some more until they heard knocking on the door, followed by a child's voice. "Do we have guests, big bro?" It was Nanako.

"Oh, is she your sister, Yu?" Kou asked. Yu sheepishly smiled at that. "We're cousins… but we're like siblings too."

"Ooh, okay. We should all play something."

Nanako then entered the room, prompting the dark blue-haired boy to ask her a question. "Don't you get lonely when your big brother doesn't play with you?"

The little girl put on a frown at him. "…No, I'm fine!"

At that response, Daisuke grinned cheekily. "Alright, then let's do your homework. Kou would LOVE to help you." His words made Kou look at him with shock. "I would!?"

Everyone else laughed at his reaction. They all had an exciting day… the athletic duo soon left the house before it got dark, leaving Yu to do his own things for the night.

* * *

 

It began to rain the next day, and the forecast had shown that it'll continue tomorrow… of course, since the killer was already caught there was nothing much to worry about. Yu spent the day inside for once, reading up on a book he's been holding off for a while. When night fell, he went downstairs to check on Nanako.

"Oh, you came down." The little girl was somewhat surprised to see him come from upstairs than to see her cousin come inside the house. Yu nodded, going over to sit at the table with her. "Mhm, stayed inside this time. Say… wanna talk tonight?"

"Yeah!" Nanako smiled at him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They talked for a while until the house phone rang, to which Nanako got up and quickly answered. Yu got up as well to see who the caller was, having an idea when he saw the bright smile on his cousin's face.

"I got a phone call from Dad. He's coming home," Nanako told him. "Let's make dinner together, big bro! There's a lot to do today!" She giggled happily after that, seeming more cheerful than she usually was with her cheeks a soft red colour. "I bought a bunch of dishes, pickled radish, and veggies at Junes! Big bro, can you make a salad?"

"Sure thing, Nanako." Salad is pretty simple to make, even for Yu's standards. Just keep the hygiene of the vegetables well and you're off to a good start from there.

"Right, then. You can be the salad-maker! And I'll be the, umm... the eggs sunny-side-up-maker!" The little girl looked really happy at hearing that. "We have to start eating our vegetables from now on. A well-balanced diet is important!" She confidently repeated that as if she'd heard it from somewhere… eventually her gaze towards the silver-haired teenager turned serious. "...My teacher said that families help each other. After Mom died, Dad and me have both been lonely, but..." She soon smiled again. "But I have Dad! And I need to do my best so Dad doesn't feel lonely either! You're my family, too, so... let's work hard together!"

Yu smiled at her, both glad and proud at how well Nanako understood her family's situation now. "Let's do it," he said with a grin, and Nanako returned it with her own cute grin. "Yeah!"

The brunette girl then remembered something. "Oh, yeah... I'm giving this to you!" She took something out of her dress's pocket and approached her cousin to give it to him. Yu observed the item in his hands and noticed that it was a family picture… more specifically, one with Nanako and her parents. "Nanako…" He lifted his gaze from the photograph to look at his cousin in surprise.

"Dad made extra copies. You're family too, so you should have a family picture. Let's get a picture of you and me and Dad all together one day!" Nanako explained to him with a smile. She giggled, her cheeks still a soft red colour. "I love you, big bro!"

Hearing those words made the silver-haired teenager feel all warm inside, and he smiled too. "I love you too, Nanako." He could feel a warm sense of love from his cousin… and the bond between them has tightened as the _Justice Social Link_ reached its ultimate potential. Whispers spoke in his head once again of a genuine bond being formed… and now he could fuse a new Persona – _Sraosha_ of the _Justice Arcana_.

Eventually Nanako realised that they shouldn't waste any more time. "We need to hurry or Dad'll be home before we're done!"

So, they both prepared dinner, just in time for Dojima to arrive home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sounds of the doors sliding open alerted the two to Dojima's arrival.

"I'm home." Dojima entered the house looking exhausted, seeing Yu and Nanako greet him. "Dad! Welcome home!" The little girl greeted with such a big smile.

"Y-Yeah."

"I made dinner with big bro today! We made salad and, um, um, a bunch of other stuff!"

"I see... good work, Nanako." The detective smiled at his daughter. Nanako smiled back happily. "Go wash your hands! Hurry, sit down!" She went ahead to set the table as her father watched her with the smile still on his face.

"She's really cheerful," Dojima commented before looking at Yu with that same smile. "I'm sure it's thanks to you."

The silver-haired teenager could only smile back. He's doing his best to help his uncle and cousin, and now that he's fully helped the latter, he'll have to start helping Dojima this time. After all… they're the family he wished he could've had.

"Dad, big bro, hurry, hurry!" Nanako called them both. Dojima chuckled at her excited behaviour. "I got it, I got it. Let's eat, then." He and his nephew went to sit at the dining table to eat dinner, enjoying each other's company like a family…

* * *

 

Friday was still raining as expected. Yu spent all day indoors and watched the evening news with Nanako, which reported that the fog would settle in tonight. He still checked the Midnight Channel nonetheless, and that resulted in seeing no one on the screen. Though he wondered what happened to Mitsuo after the police took him away, he decided to shrug off the thought and went to sleep for the night. Whether or not will he find out is no big deal… besides, the guy's caught.

He then spent the next day with Rise who requested that they go to the hill overlooking town since she said she liked it there, so there they were, sitting at the resting hut while watching the scenery.

Rise smiled softly at the greenery covering the hill. "When I first got to town, I used to sit here and do nothing... I would just listen to the sound of the river, the sound of the birds, the sound of the rain... I felt I could forget 'Risette' and find myself that way... but..." Her smile fell as she became quiet for a moment. Then, she looked at Yu with a question in mind. "Senpai, have you ever thought that you're pushing yourself too far, or that you were just acting...?"

That question almost made the silver-haired boy flinch. Acting…? He's doing that right now… a girl crossdressing as a boy. He might as well have been acting his whole life, being someone he was not. Yet, he can't reveal that to her, or anyone else. "…Sometimes." He knew it wasn't good to lie to these people he's grown to appreciate as friends, but life has shown him that trust can only go so far.

He won't make that same mistake again.

"I see... but I guess that makes sense... no one can be their 'normal self' all the time, huh?" Rise smiled sadly at him. "I feel like I've been able to relax after coming to Inaba. Meeting all of you, laughing together... watching the store, reading comics, playing with the cat... when I was at my parents' house, I was on my best behaviour around them..." She fell silent again for a few seconds. "…Oh, but Grandma doesn't ask me anything. Y'know, like why I quit or what I'm thinking of doing next... she just talks about tofu. She says... I'm like tofu. I had to ask her what that meant."

She looked down solemnly as she recalled her grandmother's words. "The way she explained it... tofu looks weak and fragile, but it's actually pretty resilient. Even though it stands out because it's not like any other food, it can be mixed in with any recipe or flavour... tofu is incredible. I'm nothing like that..."

A short while passed between the two teenagers without a word, the only sound being the cries of cicadas and the gentle breeze of the wind…

Rise's hands gripped her shirt tightly, coming to a choice to tell the boy next to her what’s been on her mind. "I... I was actually bullied at school before I made my debut... I wasn't good at talking, and always looked at my feet... I was alone the entire time... but I didn't have a problem with that. No one expected anything of me. And then... the application my relative sent without telling me passed the first audition. I wasn't interested in being an idol, but... I wanted the chance to change myself. And just by chance, I won."

Yu stared at her in stunned silence. So… she didn’t become an idol on her own will…?

The dark brunette could only chuckle pitifully. "Haha... when it happened, I panicked, thinking maybe I should turn their offer down.  Then I thought... if I appeared on TV, I could make friends... that was literally the only reason I went through with it... after a while... I realized something. The person everyone likes, the one they say 'hi' to on the street? That's not the real me. Risette is the one everyone likes... the fictional character they sold the public." She then looked at Yu with a wry smile. "...It's the same with you, isn't it? You don't have to deny it... I won't be mad. You're with me right now because I'm Risette, yeah?"

"…I don't know…" All this while, Yu did it out of obligation since they had a Social Link together, but he was starting to see an unexpected side of the idol he saw a few years ago – that image of confidence he watched dance on the stage, all of it was just an act for society to drool over and gobble up. He could see bits of himself in her, and despite what happened the last time they hung out… he might be willing to truly help Rise out.

Rise was surprised to hear that from him. "W-Wow, I'm kinda surprised... you project the image of strength, so I didn't expect you to say that...  but I see... you're just a year older than me, huh? I never thought of that..." She smiled sheepishly at the silver-haired boy before looking away again. "When I got back to school after my debut, no one bullied me... I was happy at first, with people I didn't even know talking to me... but they weren't suddenly interested in Rise Kujikawa... they wanted to hang out with Risette. The bullying stopped, but... I felt like none of them saw the real me."

She sighed, shaking her head. "In my heart, I've always thought... 'This isn't the real me...'. Funny, huh? I was the one who wanted to change, and..." She stopped there, a smile coming to her lips once more as she gazed at Yu cheerfully. "But none of that matters now! I'm done being Risette! Now I have people who know the real me. Plus, I have power that can help everyone... I love that! This time, I'm going to change into a Rise that everyone can like! Keep an eye out for her, Senpai!"

"I suppose I will." Yu managed to smile back, feeling like he could understand her a lot better now. He could feel the _Lovers Social Link_ grow stronger from it…

He soon walked her to her house as evening fell, then went back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Dojima came home with a big spread of sushi for dinner… oh, and his partner, Adachi.

Adachi was amazed at the sight of all the sushi on the table. "Wow, what a great spread! I've never seen so many pieces of fatty tuna!" he commented. For once, Dojima wasn't too cranky with his partner, even having a smile of his own on his face. "If you're gonna have a celebration, you can't do it halfway."

Nanako looked at her father curiously. "Celebration?"

"Ah, it's about this. Watch."

Just then, the TV was showing the news report about the murder case. It reported that Mitsuo Kubo confessed to the crime, but he's shown no remorse so far… and some have called for a mental examination to be carried out due to inconsistencies in his deposition. Until then, the police will be continuing their investigation to shed light on all prior incidents.

Well, that does explain the sudden celebration.

"It was actually really tough to make a case out of this," Adachi said with a proud smile. "All we had was the suspect's confession and some circumstantial evidence. But the lab found the perp's prints on the victim's clothes, so we made it stick after all. Man, isn't crime scene investigation something? Who would've thought you could get viable prints from cloth?"

"There's no more scary stuff to worry about. You're safe now," Dojima told his daughter. Nanako nodded with a happy smile. "Uh-huh!"

…However, Adachi couldn't stop talking about the case. "Man, that guy was twisted. A high schooler committing multiple murders and leaving the bodies like that… he was over the edge. Good thing we caught him! Now I can stop seeing suspects in every shadow! If the killer was still on the loose…"

It got to the point where Dojima had to tell him off. "Enough, Adachi! If you keep running your mouth, the sushi's gonna dry up!"

"Oh, you're right. Sorry!"

"C'mon everyone, eat up."

"Well, since you asked…" The younger detective was about to start eating like Yu and Dojima did when he noticed that Nanako wasn't eating. "Huh? You don't like sushi, Nanako-chan?"

The little girl stared at her sushi hesitantly. "There's wasabi in it…"

"Ahh, that's right. I forgot to tell them to hold the wasabi." Dojima readied his chopsticks. "Here, I'll take it off for you. Which one do you want? Hmm?"

Nanako smiled at him. "…Halibut!"

Adachi was surprised to hear her choice. "Excellent taste, Nanako-chan." He then eyed the tray of sushi. "As for me, I'll go for sea urchin…" As the younger detective reached to grab the sea urchin sushi, Dojima tried to stop him from doing so. "Hey, there's only one of those!"

"Too late! First come, first serve." Adachi then popped the sea urchin sushi into his mouth with a cheeky grin. How daring of him.

Anyway, the four of them continued to have a nice dinner while talking about other things. It's been a while since dinner has been this lively… but Yu was slightly bothered by what Adachi said. It's almost like he wasn't really sure they had the killer.

…It's probably a long shot.


	33. Back to Modernity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's business to do back in the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say that this chapter would have the summer festival? Ehhhhh maybe. But nope, this is a chapter I wrote to kinda build some things up for the future event I'm planning... the chapter name should be hinting as to what's happening, no? Enjoy! /manitwashardtowritethistbh

The next morning, Yui got a call from Chie who told her that Yosuke was in a bind due to having not enough employees working at Junes, and that he might ask her to 'rescue him'. The brunette girl was going to help the guy out, but Yui – or rather, Yu was welcome to help out as well. The call ended there, leaving her wondering if she should go and help him out tomorrow… before she could reach a conclusion, her cell rang again. Raising an eyebrow, she answered the call. "Hello?"

_"Yui? It's me, your grandfather's secretary."_

"Mr. Tadashi?" Yui tensed up as she recognised that voice on the other end of the line. "…What is it this time?"

_"Well… it's a bit of a problem."_

Taking a deep breath, the silver-haired girl's grip on her cell phone tightened. This isn’t like the last few times where he called her before. "Go on."

_"You recall that your father is the CEO of the company, yes? And this year, the designing team has created a new fashion line for this year's autumn…"_

"And he isn't here… so you want me to be his substitute? I hope that is not what you're suggesting."

_"…I'm sorry. It's under your grandfather's orders."_

There it is.

"Why can’t he be the one to do it? He's the chairman, he's the one who's above my own father in the company..."

_"You know I can't answer that…"_

"Of course not. You're not him." Frustration was evident in Yui's voice as she spoke. "Inaba is hours away from Tokyo, and he wants me to go there for an event he can easily do for himself. I have my own responsibilities here, and I can't just leave without a word… hell, _why_ should I go?"

_"Don't use that word with me, Yui. I understand why you'd feel that way, but you are still a Narukami. This company was built by your grandfather's hands – you have the responsibility to keep it alive aside from what you have now."_

The urge to just end the call there was tempting, but when she thought back to her time as a delinquent, especially that one day in an abandoned factory… she couldn't bear the thought of destroying what she had left of her grandmother's words in her. "…Fine… when are you coming?"

_"Tomorrow, I'll pick you up around eight in the morning. The event is the day after tomorrow, and you'll be allowed to go back the next day after that. He only wants you to lead the event, and that's all. You don't need to bring much – just bring the suit you wore the other day, and everything else will be supplied to you from the mansion in the city suburbs."_

"Alright… can you do a favour for me in return?" Yui didn't want Yosuke to end up being short a guy that could help him out of his predicament at Junes. She knew that there should be a few workers at the company that would be willing to travel to Inaba just to help out in return for a raise or something of similar value.

_"What do you need?"_

"A few workers that can come to Inaba to help out at a store for a few days, starting tomorrow. Will that be possible?"

_"That shouldn't be too hard… but it won't be easy either. What does the company get in return?"_

"I'll talk with someone at the place on what they can do. Please get a small group ready by tonight for the trip there."

_"…Yes, Yui. I'll see you soon."_

"Goodbye, Mr. Tadashi." Yui ended the call, shaking her head while she stared at her phone. Substituting her father at an announcement for a new fashion line… she's only watched him do the work, but she never did it herself. She'll literally be facing dozens of guests, VIPs and reporters - she might even have to introduce herself as her grandfather's grandson. Sighing heavily, she could only get herself ready to go out and finish what she had to do today, including informing Yosuke that she won't be available to help.

That'll be difficult to do without telling why.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu's attempts to call Yosuke wouldn't connect for some reason – was the brunette boy that busy working at Junes? This brought a huge wrench in his plans… he might have to do it on the spot tomorrow which is terrible enough, but it'll have to do. In the meanwhile, he was on the way to Junes when he spotted Hisano by the riverbank again. The old lady had a wistful gaze again while she observed the shine of the flowing river, and the silver-haired teenager felt a pang of sorrow hit him in the chest at the sight of it. She reminded him of his late grandmother…

Eventually, he gave in to his memories… and he quietly approached her. "Hisano, ma'am…?"

Hisano turned her head to look at him, seeming surprised to see him there. "Oh, Yu-chan…"

"I was… just wondering if you'd like to talk today."

"…Yes, I would like to talk." The old lady looked like she had regained her composure since the last time they talked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The two of them sat down by the riverside like last time, the sounds of the river drowning out the noise by the cicadas.

"You frightened me there... I thought you were my husband..." Hisano admitted to the teenager sitting next to her. "Watching the river here with you, like this, brings back memories..."

"Of what, may I ask…?" Yu asked her, curious of what she meant.

"Of when I was still young, before I became this wrinkled old lady." Hisano smiled at the memory. "I met my husband here in this town. I was born and raised here, and he was part of a travelling company of actors. They'd come to town once a year... when I was small, my family took me to see the play... that's when I met my husband, who was a child actor. He had clear, pale skin, and he spoke completely differently from the other children... he was my first love."

She stared up at the sky, recalling her younger days. "Every year, he would come... and every year, I would watch... I gathered all the courage I had and talked to him. By some miracle, he fell in love with me, too... we would just talk behind the stage. One date every year." She then lowered her gaze to look at Yu with that same, gentle smile. "Haha... I thought he was just flirting with me, but I thought that was okay... but do you know what he did? He quit the company and said he would live here, and marry me! He did fieldwork, though he didn't know how... he would come home and show me his blisters. He was so proud..." She stared at her lap after that. "...I was happy back then."

Yu could only smile at that. "I'm jealous." To love someone and find that their feelings were reciprocated is one of the greatest joys he wished he could have, but his feelings towards the boy who held them now might as well be buried under countless lies. He can never have that joy, not as long as his façade still stands.

"I'm sure the day will come where you'll be so happy you could just cry out of happiness. No, there are many people who are in the midst of happiness... they just don't realize it. If you don't know what you should hold dear, then your life is just a journey without a destination." The old lady smiled back at him, though it soon fell. "Right now... all I want to do is be by his side… but I know I never will. He went to Heaven... and I will surely go to Hell."

Those words sent a shiver down Yu's spine. "That's not true..." She was so sweet – what could she have ever done in the past that will condemn her to a place like Hell…?

Hisano merely smiled sadly at him. "…You're so kind."

…With it, the _Death Social Link_ grew in strength.

"I must be going now. It gets cold here, down by the river," Hisano told him after a moment of silence passed between them. "...I'll see you later, Yu-chan."

"Goodbye, ma'am."

They parted ways that evening.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon arriving home, Yu noticed that Dojima was sitting at the dining table, staring intently at something in a book of some sorts… it looked like data about cars. "Uncle?"

"Hey, Yu." The detective lifted his head to look at his nephew. "I heard you got top marks on that last exam. Keeping up your studies while taking care of Nanako, too…? You're one hard working, aren't you?"

"Ah, it's not much…"

"No, really." The man smiled at the silver-haired boy. "I need to act like an uncle every so often and give you some spending money. Here you go… a big tip. But don't spend it all in… nah, you can use it however you like." He gave Yu a lot of money… forty thousand yen, in fact. It almost made the teenager panic at the huge sum he just got. "T-thank you…" Guess he could use this for… wait. The killer had already been caught… he didn't have much use for this money now, other than buying some things from the shopping district…

…He'll just keep it since his uncle gave it to him anyway. Plus, he had to tell him that he'll be away for a while too. "Um, I also won't be at home for a few days before the summer festival…"

"Why is that?" Dojima raised an eyebrow at that.

"Family business."

"…Oh." The detective had expected that much. "When will you be going?"

"Tomorrow, in the morning. I might be back by Wednesday or Thursday…"

"Alright. Be careful out there, Yu." With that, Dojima went back to looking at the book with his full attention. Yu stared at him for a moment, wondering if he should do something. "…Want some coffee?" The silver-haired boy offered, knowing how to at least make a cup of coffee. Not as good as Dojima's, but it could pass for an average cup of joe.

His offer only made the man smile wryly at him. "...That's my job. Don't worry about it." He looked away for a moment before gazing at Yu again. "Oh yeah. I was thinking about this when talking with Nanako just now, but... I feel like she's changed a bit lately. I don't know how to put it... she's stronger... I feel like I'm being left behind..." He seemed troubled by that… he then glanced around the house, a smile coming to his lips. "Ever since you came, this house has become, well... home-y. A house isn't just a big box. It's a place for a family to live together. Laughing, crying, fighting... spending most of your lives together... a warm place."

Dojima's smile fell, a regretful frown taking its place. "I forgot what that was like... I wanted to get that back more than anything... and yet, I feel like I've been dodging it the whole time." He stared at his nephew with a sharp look in his eyes. "Do you understand why?"

Yes, he did.

"Because you're a coward," Yu answered without hesitation, staring back at his uncle. He was familiar with those feelings, and it still lives within him in a different form. It's been in all kinds of forms… and he'll keep it if it meant he could still retain what he had now.

Dojima was somewhat astonished that the teenager who stood in front of him clearly stated the true cause of his actions. He chuckled, nodding at that answer. "Hah! You punk. You nailed it. That's it exactly..." He smiled peacefully, hearing the exact answer he wanted to hear. "We've been in the same place, but we weren't connected. You brought the two of us together." His face then turned serious as he looked down at the book in front of him. "The rest... is my problem. Where do I draw the line with this...?"

His quiet determination could be felt from his voice… and so the _Hierophant Social Link_ became stronger.

After a few moments, Dojima shook his head with a carefree grin. "Ahhh, screw this! I'm drinking tonight!" He then looked at his nephew with that same grin. "Yu, you're drinking with me. Alcohol-free, of course. You pass out before me, and you're under arrest, got it!? Alright!"

Yu wasn't even able to say a word at that, stuttering in surprise. "O-Okay…?" Shame that he's getting alcohol-free drinks, but it'll have to do – better to deal with the urge than relapsing into his addiction. Besides, he's going to be busy tomorrow… and getting drunk is out of the question when it involved the company. So in the end, his uncle passed out on the sofa after they drank for a while. The silver-haired boy grabbed a blanket and draped it over the detective's body, then went upstairs to his room…

* * *

 

The next morning, Yu got up early to get ready for his trip back to the city, washing up and dressing in his casual clothes that he's been wearing since the start of summer. He also packed his formal suit and other necessities in a small bag which he brought with him as he went downstairs, seeing that Nanako was making breakfast for them all. Dojima was reading his newspaper at the dining table, taking a bite or two of his breakfast every few moments while Nanako was preparing another plate… though she did notice her cousin going down the stairs.

"Oh, good morning big bro!" The little girl smiled at Yu who went over to the dining table and took a seat there. "Good morning, Nanako." Yu smiled back, setting his bag down. He still had some time before he had to go out… having breakfast would be enough. Nanako soon got two more plates of breakfast for herself and her cousin, placing them on the table before taking a seat at the table too. Having a meal together was something Yu wasn't familiar with, but doing it with his uncle and cousin made him felt much more at home than his parents ever did.

Going back to the city now felt like a burden.

Shaking his head to get rid of that thought, he started to eat his breakfast while having a conversation with Nanako whenever she wanted to talk.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was hard to say goodbye by the time his grandfather's secretary arrived, especially to Nanako who was saddened at hearing that her big bro would be leaving for a few days.

"Don't worry, Nanako. I'll be gone for just a few days – I'll come back as quickly as I can!" Yu told her, giving her a reassuring smile. He knelt down to give Nanako a hug, and he could feel small arms hugging him back tightly. "I'll miss you, big bro…" Nanako murmured, strong enough to not cry. "I'll miss you too," The silver-haired boy replied softly. They eventually broke the hug, letting Yu stand up to his full height. Dojima felt like he was seeing his son – or should it be daughter…? – off, even though the teenager standing in front of him was merely his nephew. "Don't forget to take care of yourself, Yu."

"I won't, uncle." Yu nodded at the detective. "Well, I'm off."

He exited the house as he waved goodbye at the two, feeling wistful for having to leave them temporarily because of his other life in the city.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Mr. Tadashi was waiting in front of the house when Yu came out of it, a sleek and luxurious black car waiting a few feet away from the place. A little further away from it was a black van… it probably had the group of workers Yu had asked for yesterday.

"Good morning, sir. Shall we go?" The secretary asked after greeting him, dressed in his typical suit and tie outfit. Yu held up a hand first, looking at the van for a moment. "Before that, did you bring the workers I asked for?" he questioned him. Mr. Tadashi nodded once as he answered him. "A group of four, all willing work temporarily according to the terms you specified yesterday. They're inside the van, waiting for further orders from you."

"Thank you, Mr. Tadashi." Yu was about to tell his grandfather's secretary on why he asked for a group of workers when his cell rang. "Excuse me for a moment…" He took it out to answer the call, soon hearing the voice of the guy he's been trying to call yesterday to no avail on the other end. "Yosuke?"

_"Yeah, it's me. Sorry for dropping this on you all of a sudden, but I need a big favour. Can you work at Junes from today 'til Friday? We're short on staff! I'll pay you more than we usually pay our workers! I'll buy you lunch every day at work too, I promise! Please, I'm begging you!"_

Yosuke sounded desperate… but Yu had much more pressing matters to deal with. "I'm sorry, but I can't…"

_"H-Hey, come on! You're my only hope! Super please!"_

Somehow, those words and that tone made the silver-haired boy imagine his best friend's helpless face over the phone… then again, Chie did ask him to help the guy out, which was why he got the workers in the first place. Sighing quietly, he decided that he'll have to explain it to Yosuke face to face. "…I'll be there quick, but I need to tell you something first when I arrive."

_"Sweet! No problem, tell me what you need! Oh, and you're awesome, buddy! A real lifesaver! I'll be waiting for you at Junes, so I'll see ya soon!"_

Yosuke then hung up, sounding relieved before he did. With a calm expression, Yu put his phone back into his pocket as he looked at Mr. Tadashi again. "Mr. Tadashi, we'll need to go somewhere for a short moment. Do you recall the famous Junes department store? It has a branch here in Inaba."

The secretary thought for a moment. "Junes…? Ah, yes. What business do you have to do there?"

"A friend of mine's father handles the branch here as its manager… it's why I asked you to bring a few workers here. This friend works there too, and he's in a bind since there's not enough workers there, from what I've heard. He needs workers there until Friday."

"So, these people will be working in a convenience store?"

"That's right. As for what the company gets in return… I'll talk that out with him. First, we need to get there – I'll show you the way. Oh, and don't forget to tell the workers to follow."

"Affirmative, sir." Mr. Tadashi then opened the car door for the passenger seats. "Please get in the car, Yu."

The silver-haired teenager entered the vehicle wordlessly, letting the man shut the door first before alerting to the workers in the van to follow. The secretary then went to the driver's seat of the car to start driving the car in the direction where the Junes department store was…

~*~*~*~*~*~

As the car pulled over by the entrance of Junes, Yu spotted Yosuke waiting nervously by one of the pairs of glass sliding doors through the car window. Poor guy – he must be really desperate to look like a wreck.

Breaking his gaze away from the sight, he looked at his grandfather's secretary with a serious expression. "Wait here. I'll call you when it's time," he told him. Mr. Tadashi nodded and unlocked the doors, letting the silver-haired boy exit the car from the side that was facing away from the department store.

When he walked around the vehicle, Yosuke noticed him as his face broke into a smile. "Partner! You're here!"

"Yeah, I'm here." The shorter boy approached the brunette, seeming strangely tense for some reason. Yosuke was too much in a hurry to notice, however. "C'mon, I'll bring you to the changing rooms." He turned around to let his best friend follow, but after he took a few steps forward, he noticed that Yu wasn't following him. "…Hey, what's the hold up?" he asked, seeing a conflicted look on the silver-haired boy's face.

"…Remember that I said I have something I needed to tell you?" Yu asked him.

"Uh, yeah…? What about it?"

Yu glanced at the black car behind him, then looked back at Yosuke. "I can't help you. I have family business to do back in the city, so I have to be gone for a few days."

"What?" The brunette stared at him in shock. "You're going away?"

"Just for a small while. But I'll be back before the summer festival!"

"S-still…!" It was a painful reminder to Yosuke that his best friend, the guy who he thought was equal to him and understood him best was merely here for a year… and having him gone for a few days would be a taste of how that separation felt.

"Don't worry. I'm not leaving that early, Yosuke." Yu gave him a reassuring smile. "But since I won't be able to help you during the time I'm away, I got some people that'll help you out during that time period." He turned to face the black van and did a calling motion, which the workers took as a sign for them to come out. The small group came out of the van, all of them young adults like most workers in the city would look like. Yosuke stared at the group in confusion. "…Wait, these guys will be helping out?"

"Yes." Yu turned back towards the brunette boy, quickly thinking of an explanation. "I heard that they wanted some extra cash before the summer festival, so I called them here since you needed some help."

"Oh, nice timing then." Yosuke smiled, now understanding why the group of workers were here. "Let me call my dad real quick – I'm gonna go up and help out at the food court, so I'll see you later, Yu!" He waved goodbye at his best friend as he ran inside, leaving the silver-haired boy with the group of workers. Yu looked at the four adults once the brunette was gone, a grateful smile on his lips. "Thank you for coming here. I'll make sure your hard work here won't go without reward."

"Of course, sir," The workers said in unison as they nodded, somewhat nervous that they were being thanked by the second heir of the company they worked for. This was no ordinary occurrence, after all.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They waited by the entrance a little while longer until a man with dark brown hair came out of the store. Yu assumed that this was Yosuke's father as evident of the same shade of brown for the man's hair and the style of his outfit which was similar to that of store managers.

"I assume that you're Yu-kun?" The man asked, a curious look in his eyes when he saw the silver-haired teenager. Yu nodded, bowing once in respect. "Yes, I am, sir. Are you Yosuke's father, if I may ask?"

The man smiled at him. "That's right. I'm the manager of this place… but I'm sure Yosuke has told you that, seeing that he talks a lot about you sometimes." He chuckled upon seeing the stunned look on the boy's face. "It's true. He thinks of you as someone amazing who's good in everything he tries. I'm glad that you're his friend; he's been doing much better since he started meeting you, y'know?"

"Is… that so?" Yu coughed a little to get rid of the awkwardness he felt. "Well, I'm happy that he's doing better."

Mr. Hanamura then looked at the small group standing nearby. "Are you the part-time workers?"

The small group nodded, one of them speaking up. "We'll be working at the food court until Friday, if that's fine."

"It's alright. More workers are always nice to have, especially with the lack of young people willing to work here…" The brunette man started calculating how much pay to give these four young men in his head. As that happened, Yu glanced back at the car where his grandfather's secretary waited and nodded discreetly at it, signalling to him that it was time. With that, Mr. Tadashi exited the car and approached them to stand next to the silver-haired teenager. "Excuse me."

"Hm?" The brunette man turned his head to see where the voice came from, only to notice that a formally dressed man was now standing next to Yu.

Mr. Tadashi took out a small business card, holding it out for Mr. Hanamura to take. "I am Tadashi Nakayama from Miyabi Jo Apparels, secretary to Asuka Narukami, chairman of Miyabi Jo Apparels. I have a few things to talk to you about, if you wouldn't mind." He let the man take the card in bewilderment. "Miyabi Jo Apparels? That famous clothes company back in Tokyo?" Yosuke's father stared at Tadashi for a moment before glancing at Yu. A thought then came to his mind, which made him wonder if his son's best friend was not as he seemed to be. "Is he…?"

"…Yes, he is. I would recommend that you do not tell this to your son – he does not want anyone to know of his life in the city."

"A-alright…"

The man dressed in a suit and tie glanced at the teenager standing next to him. "Sir, wait for me in the car."

Yu nodded, bowing again as he excused himself from the two adults. He knew that Mr. Tadashi was going to talk to Mr. Hanamura about what the company would be getting upon knowing that the group of young people were actually workers from the company… hopefully that wouldn't put the manager off. He went back to the car and entered, only being able to guess how the conversation went by watching the brunette man's reactions through the windows.

At first, he saw shock on the manager's face. Then it turned to what seemed like frustration, but it was quickly replaced by an intrigued look. Soon, both men were in some kind of agreement as they shook hands, and they both parted ways with Tadashi heading towards the car while Yosuke's father entered the department store with the group of workers following from behind.

The sound of the car door leading to the driver's seat alerted Yu to his grandfather's secretary entering the car. "…What kind of deal did you strike with him?" he questioned without breaking sight of his best friend's father finally going up the elevators with the workers. Mr. Tadashi didn't answer for a moment as he started driving the car away from the store.

"Well?"

A hum of thought came from the black-haired man. "Let's just say that the store will be selling clothes from the company's newest autumn fashion line that you'll be announcing tomorrow night."

"…Oh."

Silence then fell between them as the long journey back to the city began.

~*~*~*~*~*~

_Somewhere along the way, Yu fell into the world of slumber as the rocking of the car lulled him to sleep. Yet, there was an odd weightlessness in his body. As he soon felt a growing pull on his mind, the musky darkness in front of his eyes shifted into a deep blue, and eventually he found himself in the extravagant place that was the Velvet Room. Igor and Margaret sat at their usual spots with knowing looks on their faces as the silver-haired boy was finally aware of where he was._

_"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor flashed him a grin he had worn on his face the many times they met before. "Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world - I have summoned you within your dreams."_

_So, this was a dream… but why was he called here again?_

_"You've done well in progressing your Social Links despite the hardships and obstacles you've encountered in the past. However, the future remains uncertain, only affected by your choices when the time comes…" Igor intertwined his fingers in intrigue, placing his elbows on the blue table in front of him. "I wonder how will you fare with the troubles ahead?"_

_"Troubles…?" Yu raised an eyebrow at that. Was there more to this mystery than it seemed?_

_Margaret then spoke up. "The surest way to move forward through the fog is with clear purpose and understanding. You've learnt about trying to understand the struggles and desires of others. But now I ponder on one question… after being with those close to you in these few months, what have you learned so far about understanding yourself?"_

_"Huh?" The silver-haired boy blinked a few times. Understanding himself… he should know himself best, right? What kind of question is that?_

_The Velvet Room attendant merely gave him a shrewd smile. "Before you leave, answer me this: When you discard the masks you wear, and you let your defences fall… what strikes your heart most with fear?" she questioned him. Her gaze was sharp and intense as she watched the teenager, awaiting an answer from him. Yu felt the air grow cold under her stare, feeling as if he couldn't lie even if he tried. She would see the truth either way… and so Yui Narukami rose to the surface, and the teenager shut her eyes to let her mind wander in an attempt to find the answer._

_She held her own mix of fears over her sixteen years of life, many caused by the experiences she went through both in school and her private life. She used to be scared of being alone, especially when she was young. Her parents were barely around, her grandfather was the last person she wanted to be with, but her grandmother… she was the one Yui was closest to. Every free day she had was always spent with her grandmother, the only person in her family that didn't mind that she was a girl and even loved her because of it._

_But all good things didn't last forever._

_When her grandmother passed away, her young mind at the time didn't understand the concept. She just thought that grandmother had gone away for a while, supported by the lies her parents gave so she didn't falter in her studies. The first year that passed since then, she grew angry, thinking that her grandmother had abandoned her like so many others… but the second year that came, the truth finally hit her._

_It hurt so much, everything felt numb for weeks. That led to her downward spiral, until she entered junior high…_

_…However, that wasn't exactly her biggest fear._

_The time she spent with everyone she knew, including her friends at school, made her feel worried about when the day of her departure from Inaba would finally arrive. Once the days pass from that fateful day in March, will she begin to fade away from everyone's minds? Will they forget her, just like the people she used to know in all her previous schools? It pained her to imagine being forgotten by the friends she had gained since she moved to Inaba for the year… and she wasn't sure if it's worth the temporary joy._

_Still, there's something worse than that._

_Yes, she was scared of being alone. Being forgotten was also another fear of hers. There's still one more fear she held that made itself prominent on her wandering thoughts._

_Yui thought back to her current state, her emotions and feelings towards those she knew and cherished… especially towards the one boy she somehow fell for. Just… if one day, she dared to reveal to her friends and acquaintances who she really was… how would they think, realising that she, the guy who 'had nothing to hide', has actually been lying to them from day one? There's was a glimmer of hope in her mind that they wouldn't mind… but it was overshadowed by what she saw before in the city schools._

_Liars were not treated well. In fact, one will be ridiculed for it. Never trusted again, either by the teachers or the students._

_Who’s to say that schools like her current one wouldn't have that?_

" _Be prim and proper. Never let your emotions get to you. Do as you are ordered, and be a wise man._ "

_Even more…_

" _The moment you let your guard down, you might as well be a lamb in the eyes of those wolves._ "

" _You're a Narukami – perfection is a must. Don't make a single mistake, lest you wish to become a fool in everyone's eyes._ "

_She sometimes wondered if her grandfather was right._

" _The outside world doesn't treat women too kindly._ "

" _Everyone will not respect you if they know you're a mere **girl**._ "

_Maybe he is._

_"…I fear being rejected the most."_

_That was her answer._

_Yu Narukami returned, and he opened his eyes the moment those words left his lips._

_"Is that so?" Interest was evident in Margaret's eyes as she heard Yu's answer. "Interesting. The struggle to communicate your hopes and fears to others stems from the deepest - and sometimes darkest - parts of your heart. Expressing those thoughts leaves you utterly exposed… and if the reactions you receive are not what you expect it can lead to extraordinary pain." She looked away for but a moment, then gazed back at the silver-haired teenager with a sharp stare. "I wonder... if you opened your heart, would you endure that pain with no regrets? Or would you choose to protect yourself instead?"_

_Before Yu could answer, the place around him began to swirl, mixing tones of blue into colours he could barely recall._

_"…Tread carefully..."_

_Darkness poured into his sight, blurring everything until shapes were a mere memory._

_"…When the time comes... will you truly face it, or will you let your facades get the better of you…?"_

_Soon, everything was nothing._

~*~*~*~*~*~

"…Sir…?"

His senses were all muddled.

"...Sir, we've arrived."

Slowly opening his eyes, Yu felt liked he woke up from a long dream… a dream that felt like an eternity. Straightening himself, he grimaced a little at the ache in his back from napping against the back of the seat while he took in his surroundings – he recognized the modern-like surroundings with concrete walls and metal fences in the near distance, plus the slight greenery in the area. It didn't take him long to see that they were in front of the grand gates that served as the entrance to the mansion his parents owned in Tokyo.

He's really home. Sure, it was only for a time, but it felt… not really _like_ home.

"So we have," The silver-haired boy murmured, glancing at the giant structure that stood in the middle of the slightly elevated land. There was the mansion that served as a place to stay whenever his parents had work in Tokyo or the surrounding districts, and even those times were rare. It wasn't actually much like the mansions in the western countries, but it was big enough to be thought as one. He shifted a little so he could exit the car, now growing aware of how late into the evening it was.

The skies were now an ebony black, and the sun was nowhere to be found as did the twinkling orbs he would see in the night sky of Inaba. The surrounding street lights drowned them out, and now he could see nothing.

It's so different.

"Welcome home, Yu." Mr. Tadashi welcomed him, opening the gates to the path leading up to the sumptuous structure. Yu only nodded, entering the place with a heavy feeling on his shoulders. He could still recall Margaret's words and questions from his dream… doing so made him feel nervous.

…He wasn't sure if he could answer those questions truthfully.

* * *

 

That previous night, Yu didn't bother to eat dinner or wash up properly. He only washed his face and feet before sluggishly lugging his exhausted body to his old room, falling asleep instantly on the bed. The next morning thereafter was an orderly start.

To start it off, he was woken up by a maid in the house who informed him that breakfast was ready. Although he felt like he could sleep another few hours, he knew that skipping breakfast wouldn’t be good since he already skipped dinner last night. So, he lugged himself off the bed – he had to admit, it was comfier than his futon back in Inaba – and went downstairs to eat at the dining table alone while the few maids and butlers that have been hired to watch over the mansion in the owners' absence continued to do their work.

He was really starting to remember the days of loneliness and silence he spent in this place.

Once he finished, the next thing Yu did was actually wash up and change into his outfit for the event tonight which was his suit and tie, though Mr. Tadashi seemed to have other ideas when he noticed the outfit the silver-haired boy wore. "Hm… I think we need to get you a new tie."

"…What, you want to change this?" The tie Yu was wearing was a simple black tie, fit for most occasions.

"Well, it's just that this is an event to announce a new fashion line, and your outfit is a little…"

"Outdated?" The silver-haired boy crossed his arms with an amused smile. "I'm surprised that you have an eye for fashion too, Mr. Tadashi."

His words made the secretary slightly flustered. "I-it's my job to ensure the best for you and your grandfather…" He cleared his throat and averted his gaze for a few seconds, hearing a small chuckle from the teenager standing in front of him.

"It's alright. Maybe it's time I got a new suit…" Yu felt the fabric of the suit he wore, now aware of how outdated it seemed. He got this suit when he left the delinquent life... it's probably time for a new one. "Think we can get one from the company's selections…?"

Mr. Tadashi nodded, a calm smile on his lips. "Of course. There should be one that'll be just right for you, Yu."

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Mr. Tadashi called some people from Yu's grandfather's company to bring some of the most recent suits and ties released, it only took within an hour for the people to arrive. Before Yu even knew it, he was suddenly the centre of attention as his grandfather's secretary, the maids and the butlers in the mansion assisted the man in seeing how the outfits would look on the silver-haired boy. There must've been more than five of both articles of clothing, because it took quite a while.

In the end, they settled for a suit that consisted of a suit jacket that would be left unbuttoned, a fashion vest that had a chain on the middle button that extended to the pocket on the left side of it, and a pair of formal slacks that were in the same tone of black as the previous two. Alongside the three was a white long-sleeved button-up shirt with silver grey cufflinks that would be worn underneath the jacket and the vest. As for the tie, they went for a silver grey one with a small checkered pattern – a pin bearing the company's logo was attached to it as well.

When Yu then dressed up in the outfit they chose, everyone was in awe at how well it fit his complexion, including the silver white colour of his hair. It was perfect.

"It's perfect! Just the right style for the event." Mr. Tadashi had a satisfied smile at the sight of the boy dressed in the new suit. "Is it?" Yu asked as looked down at himself, feeling odd since he was now in a new attire that was a lot fashionable and better than his last one. His question got a few words and nods of approval from the maids and butlers who were smiling.

…Are they genuine, though?

Eventually the secretary clapped his hands once to gain everyone's attention. "Now, let's go to a salon to prep you up."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next place they brought Yu to was one of the famous salons in Tokyo to do his hairstyle and makeup. He could see the salon workers thinking deeply on how they could fix his appearance – being in the warm and damp atmosphere of Inaba has made him look more like a person from a rural town than the city. He didn't mind the change, but these people obviously thought otherwise. So, he went through the whole process of them fixing his hair and adding some makeup to his face… he just rehearsed his speech for the event while the workers did their thing.

It took a few hours, but the end result was worth the wait as he now looked like a whole new person.

Mr. Tadashi smiled again as he observed Yu's new look in the mirror. The teenager's hair has been cut a little shorter, and his front bangs were swept up and slicked back with the rest of his hair using some gel to give it a shine and a sense of formality. His skin also seemed to be of a lighter tone and was visibly moister. It would've been better if he was prettied up the way girls would be, but he's still bound by his grandfather's words to be someone he's not. The secretary felt sorry for him, yet there's not much he could do either.

By then, there was only a while left before the event.

Time to go.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The announcement party would be held a luxurious hotel that had a spacious rentable hall for any kinds of events.

Yu hadn't expected that the front of the building would be full of reporters, a crowd of men and women eager to get a scoop for their respective papers or news reports. He could only watch as his grandfather's secretary got out of the car to open the passenger door, revealing himself to the crowd. Then again, he should get used to this. Putting on a calm smile for the sake of it, he got out of the vehicle sophisticatedly and tried to ignore the reporters that got to work with asking him so many questions.

To avoid them from crowding around him, a few guards blocked them from approaching him yet their shouting was loud to make up for that. He could hear their words, asking about the event and the fashion line, and some asked about who he was and where Shou Narukami was.

…That name belonged to his father.

It was overwhelming to be surrounded by such loud voices even as Yu finally entered the lobby of the hotel with his grandfather's secretary, but none was as dreadful as seeing his grandfather waiting for him by the elevators with a stoic expression. A man still in his middle sixties, he was the one who built the Miyabi Jo Apparels company from ground up, and the one who trained his granddaughter to be the second heir of this company through strictness. Yu noted that his grandfather was dressed in a long montsuki kimono with a montsuki haori and hakama, the most formal traditional attire a man could wear to an event.

He had expected that he'd wear that.

"…Good evening, grandfather."

His voice echoed through the lobby, everything in place illuminated in a golden shine from the chandelier above their heads.

The old man turned his head to see his grandson standing there, dressed to his best. He merely nodded once in greeting, glancing at his secretary that stood behind the silver-haired boy. Mr. Tadashi took that as a signal for him to call the elevator so the two can go up to the floor the event hall was at. The moments before the elevator arrived felt like a lifetime, a tense silence growing between the two family members. It didn't fade when the elevator did arrive, only intensifying as the three entered the cramped space.

Still no words were spoken.

Only the hum of the machinery became their companion.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As the elevator was about to reach the floor the venue was on, a deep voice spoke out from Yu's grandfather. "…Have you been keeping your attitude and studies up, Yu?"

The usual question.

"Yes, grandfather." Yu nodded slowly, still keeping his gaze towards the metal doors in front of them, the metallic sheen reflecting the sight in front of it – a young man and an old man standing side by side, both of the same family yet neither close to each other. He's learned to not ponder too much about it, to not wonder why he wasn't as close to his grandfather as he was with his grandmother. He's gotten his answer long ago… it's because he's not a boy. Shame.

"Did you prepare for tonight?"

"Of course, grandfather." It'll be foolish of the teenager to not prepare for the event. He'll look like an idiot if he didn't.

"Good. Be on your best behaviour, child."

Yu shut his eyes, hearing the chime of the elevator. He was already on his best behaviour, desperately trying to make up for his mistakes.

"Unless you wish repeat what happened two years ago."

However, his family won't forget it, won't they?

…The doors opened.

Showtime.


	34. The Festival Below the Half-Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the summer festival arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was... admittedly much later than usual. I got lazy and school caught up to me... and then there's the Cuphead fandom which took me by the storm (still got some space for this fanfic, ofc lol, I ain't abandoning it that easily). I'll admit, I'm not too proud of my writing skills for this particular chapter, especially in how I delivered the ideas... but I tried. Again, all mistakes are mine, so please enjoy what I've managed to scrounge up from so much procrastinating ;w;
> 
> Also, updates are going to come a little late since school is really taking up a lot of my time, so I'm sorry for the wait!

" _We are now announcing the arrival of Asuka Narukami, the chairman of Miyabi Jo Apparels…_ "

The first thing that greeted the trio was the sounds of applause that resonated through the corridor leading up to the hall where the event was being held. Dozens of guests and VIPs were in the event hall, clapping as the trio walked down the ruby red carpet leading up to the table where Yu's grandfather would sit with the more important VIPs. While the old man went to sit at that table, his secretary standing nearby, Yu went to where the podium was so he could do his role as the emcee for the night.

He's actually nervous, but this is practically nothing compared to the battles he had in the TV world.

Standing up to the podium, he noticed that everyone in the hall was now watching him curiously. Forcing a calm and friendly smile onto his lips, he first tapped the microphone to test if it was on before he spoke into it. " _A good evening to the chairman of Miyabi Jo Apparels, Asuka Narukami, honoured VIPs, and fellow guests. First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone in this hall for allocating time in their busy schedule to attend this event. As Shou Narukami is currently busy in another country due to work-related tasks, I have been granted the honour of being in his place for the opening of tonight's event._ "

He could see the confusion on nearly everyone's faces.

"… _I am Yu Narukami, son of Shou Narukami, grandson to Asuka Narukami, and second heir to the company after my father._ "

Intrigued gasps and murmurs echoed throughout the hall.

" _It is nice to meet you all here._ "

Yu attempted to ignore the curious gazes he got from nearly every guest in the hall. It was nerve-wracking enough to speak in front of dozens of people – there's also the looming fear that if a reporter was recording him right now, he might appear on TV… but the killer was caught already, so there _should_ be nothing to worry about. He has also been told by his grandfather's secretary that there were no reporters allowed to start recording, not at least until the main part of the event began. Still, there was a camera focused on him which showed its live feed on a screen nearby so guests that sat a little further back could still see him.

Well, he still had a job to do. He first said his own small speech, speaking of how proud he was to be a part of tonight's events and hoped that the company would continue to prosper in the future.

…It was all a lie.

" _Now, I invite the honoured chairman of Miyabi Jo Apparels, Asuka Narukami, to come up to the stand and say a few words as well as officiate tonight's events._ "

First part done.

The silver-haired boy went backstage as his grandfather got up from his seat at the table closest to the stage, receiving a small applause from the guests while the old man did so. He was not interested to listen what that old man had to say for tonight's event – he was only here to be his father's substitute, and that's it. While his grandfather spoke, he rehearsed his lines again and again just to make sure he didn't forget them, until he heard clapping from the guests which meant that the old man has finished his speech.

Time for the second part.

Returning to the podium with the same smile on his face, he recalled that after his grandfather gave his speech, dinner would be served in the usual three courses while the first few outfits for the fashion line would be revealed. Certain of what to say, he continued where he left off. " _Thank you for the speech, Mr. Narukami. With tonight's events underway, dinner will be served in three courses as stated in the menu on each table, and while you enjoy the dishes served, the first few outfits of the new autumn fashion line shall be revealed. I will let the emcee take it from here - thank you and have a good night._ "

At his words, snazzy music started playing while male and female models walked out from backstage to the front, showing off their respective attires for each guest to observe and for every reporter to take pictures of. He let the emcee of the event take his place while he went to the table his grandfather sat at since his seat was there as the grandson.

He could already see the many questions in the guests' minds the moment he sat down.

This will be a long night.

* * *

 

Thankfully, the event went well that evening. He tried to keep a level-headed attitude with the guests, but some women did show… some kind of interest in him.

Yu parted from his grandfather after the event without much of a conversation and went back home only to go through the process of removing the makeup on his face and washing his hair of the gel, letting it return to its original shape and appearance - it was getting weirder to not have his front bangs sometimes falling into his sight. He then slept for the rest of the night after changing out of his suit, tired after the whole ordeal. For the next day, while he was allowed to go back already, he felt like getting something before returning home to Inaba.

Considering that a few days later would be the summer festival, he was in the mood to get something for it since it'll be his first time joining one… which was why he was now looking over some of the company's selections with his grandfather's secretary. There was a floor that showcased the collections of clothes that the company has released in the past and is either still producing or not, which was a good place to start.

"What do people usually wear to a summer festival…?" Yu asked as he glanced at some kimonos, feeling a little melancholic that he can't ever wear one while he's still a male in the public's eye. Mr. Tadashi didn't take too long to answer. "Well, everyone usually wears yukata. Though, men's yukata is plainer than women's, and men may also wear jinbei to such festivals. Though, for you… there might be a yukata that'll suit you. Follow me." The man walked ahead to lead the silver-haired boy towards the collection of men's yukata.

Least to say, there was a lot.

"H-how am I going to choose from all this?" Yu could start with a preferred colour scheme… but where would he go from there?

The secretary merely chuckled. "No worries. Just sit back and let me do this picking." He signalled towards an attendant to bring a seat here, letting the silver-haired teenager sit while he busied himself with finding the right yukata for Yu to wear. Within fifteen minutes, he picked three out of what seemed like more than a dozen yukatas… he approached the teenager again, letting Yu see his choices. "Do any of these seem to interest you?" he asked, showing all three.

Examining the three chosen yukatas, one stuck out in particular. It was a yukata with a light black colour but if one watched closely, there were shapes in the form of an abstract, blocky pattern on the eri and tomoeri that shone in a whitish tone under the light, almost as if the cloth was actually made out of silk when it's not. Yu had made his choice when he noticed those details. "I think I'll pick that one." He pointed towards the yukata he chose. Mr. Tadashi nodded, smiling. "Good choice. Anything you'll need?"

"…Maybe a haori?"

"Those should be over there, then."

"Show me."

~*~*~*~*~*~

After picking the pieces for his yukata, Yu now had a proper outfit for the summer festival for this week's Saturday. The haori he picked was of a darker shade of black, though it bore a white sakura flowers pattern on its shoulders, some filled with colour and the others only bearing the outline. As for the obi, it was mostly white with black intricate details to give some contrast to his yukata. Now that he had that done, he felt like getting some more things for his friends back in Inaba.

He just ended up going on a small shopping spree in Tokyo. His grandfather's secretary went to finish some of his work first while the teenager did so.

"A phone case for Yosuke, a watch for Chie, this thing for Yukiko..." Yu was going over the things he got - he even managed to find a replica of the weird glasses Teddie made and guessed that Yukiko might love to have a pair. "Hair clips for Nanako, a new tie for Dojima, a one-piece dress for Rise, and… what would Teddie like…?" He thought about it for a moment. The bear might like having a bracelet with a little bear charm… gah, he'll just go buy it from an accessory store. "Now, the only one left is…" His voice trailed off as he realised who he had left to get a gift for. But what could he get for _him_?

A sewing kit would probably do well. Maybe a doll too…?

…Screw it, he'll just buy them!

~*~*~*~*~*~

They met up back in front of the company headquarters so they could start the journey back to Inaba.

"…What do you have there?" Yu questioned first, spotting Mr. Tadashi holding a paper bag with something long and woody sticking out of it. The secretary seemed a little hesitant to answer. "Well… I had to finish putting fashion props back into storage, and I happened to find a few things that _maybe_ you could take…" He held the paper bag out for the silver-haired teenager to take and inspect. Taking it into his hand, Yu peered into the bag and saw what was inside as well as what the long thing was. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You…"

Inside it was a kanzashi, a kind of Japanese hair ornament that was pristine white in colour with a flower over a snowflake design... but it's been designed for easier wear in these modern times. The long, wooden stick was actually an oil-paper umbrella, fully black with a white fern design that spiralled around the canopy until it reached the middle of the umbrella.

The problem is, these items are usually associated with women.

Not men.

"I… I can't use these." Yu was going to give the bag back, but the black-haired man shook his head. "Please, keep them. I believe that you'll have a better use for them than to just leave them in storage." Mr. Tadashi gave the boy an encouraging smile, which eventually made Yu give in to his request.

"...Fine."

"Thank you, Yu. Now, shall we?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The journey back to Inaba was a long one, the pale blue skies turning to pools of red and violet… until they turned to black, with twinkling stars bathing in the pure darkness.

Yu had called the house phone when it got dark to tell that he was going to arrive that night, so he asked that they don't lock up too early. Nanako had answered him at that time, and she was excited to hear that he'll be coming home soon. It might've been about nine or ten at night when the car pulled over by the house in the neighbourhood, with him bidding goodbye to his grandfather's secretary before entering the residence. Sliding open the doors, he announced his arrival with a feeling of ease. "I'm home..."

He missed this place.

"Big bro!" Nanako exclaimed cheerfully as she ran over to him. Yu knelt down to her level so she could hug him. "Hey... missed me?" he asked jokingly while hugging her back, having set his bags down before he got down to her height. The little girl nodded, smiling happily. "Uh-huh. But you're back!"

"Yep, and I got a little gift for you." The silver-haired boy reached into one of the bags to take out the few hair clips he got for his cousin. Most of the hair clips he got for her had adorable little jewellery to them, such as a flower or a cartoon bear attached to the clips. "It's not much, but it's what I could find at the time."

"Ooh… thanks, big bro!" With a blush to her cheeks, Nanako giggled as she took the clips. "I'll make sure to wear them!"

Yu nodded and smiled at her. "Okay then. I'm going to go up early – it's been a long day for me."

"Good night, big bro."

"Good night to you too, Nanako."

* * *

 

Yu spent the next day resting inside the house, still feeling sluggish from the long journey yesterday and even more so after sleeping in his futon. It'll take a while for him to get used to it again… nonetheless, when he wasn't resting, he was arranging his clothes and the gifts he got for his friends. That night, he noticed that his uncle had returned home from work and was reading a newspaper. Recalling that he got a new tie for Dojima, he quickly went back upstairs to grab it before going downstairs.

"Hey, uncle?" The silver-haired teenager held the tie behind his back as he called for the detective's attention. Dojima looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, Yu. Nanako told me that you got back home yesterday. Is everything alright back in the city?"

A nod was Yu's response.

"That's good. How about your… grandfather?"

"…The usual."

"Ah."

Seeing how things were slowly growing awkward, Yu promptly changed the subject. "Anyway, I got something for you while I was there, uncle." He then revealed the tie, which was red in colour though a little shinier than the one his uncle was wearing at the moment. It also had a crossed snaffle pattern, the shapes small enough to make it seem formal. "I didn't know what colour you liked, and you seemed to wear the same tie anyway…" he trailed off, sheepishly staring at his feet while still holding the tie in his hands. Dojima blinked once, seeing the tie in his nephew's hands. "You got this for me?"

"Yeah. I got some hair clips for Nanako and some other gifts for my friends, so why not get one for you too?"

The detective then carefully took the tie. "Is it from the company?"

"Yes... one of the rare ones. They had another in stock."

"Hm. I'll keep it well then." Dojima paused for a moment, then a small smile crossed his lips. "…Thanks."

Smiling back, Yu then went to do his own things for the night. Tomorrow, he planned to go and see how Yosuke and Chie were doing at Junes…

* * *

 

As he told himself the night before, Yu went out to Junes that day while bringing the gifts for his friends in a bag.

Upon arriving at the food court, he was met with a crowded sight as a lot of people were at the place even in this late morning. He could see Chie and Yosuke trying their best to deal with the crowd, but Teddie – he just spotted the bear in his suit at the back – almost looked like he could pass out. Other than those three, he saw the four workers from his grandfather's company working as well without a word of complaint. At least they're doing their job.

"Hey guys." Yu approached his friends who noticed him in surprise. The trio's faces brightened up upon seeing the silver-haired boy standing there, having not seen him for about four days. "Partner!" Yosuke grinned at his best friend. "You're back!"

"Yeah, I'm back. Got some stuff for you guys since I wasn't around to help during the last few days." Yu held up the bag with a sheepish smile. "But I think we can hold that off first. I'll help out too."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The four of them sat at their usual table later that afternoon once the crowd had thinned out, with Yu and Yosuke already changed out of their work clothes while Teddie was now out of his suit. The four workers also went away after getting their pay, having worked from Monday until today as promised.

"It's not much, but I tried to get what I think you guys would like," Yu told them as he got the first gift out of the bag. "I got a phone case for you, Yosuke." It was a sleek new phone case, which he gave to Yosuke who was amazed at getting such a gift. "Dude, really? Thanks, Yu." The brunette boy took out his phone and tried the case on it, finding it a perfect fit. "It's awesome!" He was grinning while he checked out his phone that looked brand new in the case his best friend just got him.

"Glad you like it then." Yu smiled at that before looking at Chie. "I wasn't able to find much, and I didn't want the gift to be too little… so I just got you a sports watch. I hope you don't mind, Chie." The next gift was a sports watch, mostly light green in colour with yellow highlights like Chie's jacket. The brunette girl blushed a little at the gift, smiling. Her feelings towards him were still noticeable. "Aw, you didn't have to, Yu-kun..." She took the watch and put it on her left wrist. "It's quite nice… thank you."

Teddie seemed excited as it was now his turn to get a gift. "Did you get anything for me, Sensei?" he asked with a bright smile. Yu nodded, chuckling while he took out the final gift. "Of course. It's not much, but… I think you'd like this," he replied, revealing a small chain bracelet with a few pink and blue star charms attached to it. Alongside them was a cute bear charm that was reminiscent of a certain famous bear character, bearing a mix of pink and blue pastel colours with glitter.

This made the light blonde boy gasp in awe. "It's beautiful, Sensei…! Is this really mine…?"

Yu nodded again, smiling at him. "Yes, it is. Hold out your left wrist – I'll put it on for you."

So Teddie did as the silver-haired boy told him, and Yu opened the clasp of the bracelet so he could put it on Teddie's wrist before closing the clasp. "There." He let the light blonde boy examine the bracelet, noticing the faint reddish hue on Teddie's cheeks. "I love it, Sensei!" Teddie told him, giggling giddily.

…Is this bear actually having feelings towards him…?

Maybe he shouldn't dwell on that thought.

"I'm relieved that you like it." It wasn't every day one would give a gift to someone that literally came from another world, after all. Nevertheless, this joy of being with friends… Yu missed it dearly. It was a good change from the tense and awkward atmosphere back in that mansion. "How were things when I was away?" he asked, a little curious after seeing a huge crowd here that morning.

Yosuke sighed while crossing his arms. "There was some kind of hero show going on at Junes… it got a lot of people coming here, and that's why I asked for some help. Those workers you got were pretty good at their job, actually."

"That's great, then."

"…Oh yeah, tomorrow's the Summer Festival, right? Meet us at the shrine tomorrow night, okay?"

"Ah, sure."

They all deserved a rest after working that much.

* * *

 

Saturday was a clear day, which was good for being the first day of the summer festival.

Yu recalled that he had to meet the others at the shrine tonight, and since it'll take him a small while to put on his yukata… he began to dress himself early, putting on the traditional attire the way his grandparents had shown him to do. He adorned the haori on him after he correctly wore the yukata and obi, fastening it with a haori-himo that was white in colour. The only thing he had left was… well, what his grandfather's secretary gave to him. The kanzashi and the oil-paper umbrella.

He took both items out of the bag, setting them on the work table. They were both beautiful items, perfect for a typical Japanese lady, but…

…Should he even try them on?

He's probably just better off leaving them here.

Eventually, he was brought out of his thoughts by the knocking sound coming from his door. Nanako's muffled voice came from the other end, asking if he wanted to eat a small snack with her for the late afternoon. He hesitated to answer her, realising that if he accepted, he'll have to come out wearing these traditional garments that he should've been wearing for tonight only. Too bad he took too long to think about it because his cousin soon opened the door when he didn't answer her after a while.

"Big bro? Oh!" The little girl's eyes fell on the sight of Yu dressed fully in a yukata with a haori over it, making him look refined and unlike the teenager she's been living with for a few months now. It awed her to see him like this. "Is this for the festival?"

"Y…yes." Yu grew somewhat flustered at the sudden intrusion and being found like this. "Is it too much?"

Nanako smiled and shook her head. "No, you look pretty, big bro!" She giggled as she approached her cousin, marvelling at the beauty of the traditional garments the silver-haired teenager wore. She then noticed the kanzashi on the table, picking it up curiously. "What's this…?"

"Ah, that? It's a kanzashi – a traditional hair ornament. I… um, got it from a friend when I was back in the city."

"Ooh… it's beautiful!" Nanako then had an idea. "Why don't you try it on, big bro?"

"Huh?" Yu blinked once, wondering for a moment if he heard her right. "You want me to try that on…?" But that's…

"Mhm! Please, big bro?" Nanako gave him a pleading look with puppy eyes – she really wanted to see him wear this little kanzashi on. Those puppy eyes… Yu couldn't resist them, even if he tried. Sighing quietly, he then sat down slowly to his cousin's level, careful to not accidentally damage the clothes he was wearing. "Alright… do you know how to put it on?" he asked as the little girl got closer to him. Nanako examined the hair ornament for a few seconds. "It's like a hair clip… do I put it on like one?"

"Yes, that's it."

With that, Nanako carefully attached the kanzashi to Yu's hair, a little above his left ear. "Hmm… something's missing…" She observed her cousin's appearance, then decided to smoothen the teenager's front hair so they didn't appear too messy. She smiled brightly as she took a step back to admire the sight, nodding to herself once she was sure that everything now seemed right. "Done!" She giggled, letting Yu stand up so he could grab a mirror.

When Yu did look at himself in a small hand mirror from a drawer, he was stunned to see his complexion change drastically with the kanzashi and the way his front bangs were now a little neater. There was a reason why he always ruffled his front bangs – so people couldn't get the full image of his face. If he were seen like this, one might really doubt his identity… he nervously smiled and lowered the hand mirror at that thought. "Thanks, Nanako. I think I'll take this off, though…"

"Aww… can't you wear it for tonight? Pretty please, big bro?"

"W-well…" To go out to the festival looking like this where his friends will see him as such… was that a risk he was willing to take? He then glanced at the oil-paper umbrella sitting on his table, still in good quality despite being in a store for so long. Maybe if he used that to cover his face… for a time, it could work. Heck, he could use Nanako's request as an excuse for why he's wearing such a feminine accessory. "…Okay, I will."

"Yay! Thanks, big bro!"

…What has he gotten himself into?

~*~*~*~*~*~

As evening fell, Nanako had left earlier since Yukiko, Chie and Rise came to pick her up to do… something. Yu didn't know what about but even so, he went to the festival alone with the oil-paper umbrella over his head to cover some of his face. Sure, he actually got a few stares from some folks for bringing an umbrella to an event that was occurring at night, though no one really said anything about it and let it be. The moon only showed half of its beauty today, but its radiance was surprisingly bright tonight.

By the time he arrived at the shrine grounds, he noticed that most of the boys in his group of friends were there chatting about something.  Swallowing some saliva nervously, he kept his umbrella over his head as he stood near them, hearing what they were conversing about first.

"Funny, I remember this festival being a lot more crowded… is it because of the murders?" Yosuke commented, raising an eyebrow at the strangely quiet streets. Kanji shrugged at that, looking at the sight of the many stalls set up next to the path. "Yeah, there ain't that many people here this year. Well, I guess you can't blame people for being scared… haven't seen the reporters around, either. They sure are good at stirring shit up and then disappearing. Well, it ain't so bad to have thin crowds…"

"Say, where's Yu? He's supposed to have arrived a few minutes ago."

Yu tensed up, remembering that he did send a text message to them that he'll be arriving soon. They haven't realised that he was just nearby, dressed in something they wouldn't expect him to wear… though the umbrella might be a bit too much. Since it covered his eyes, he was unaware that Teddie was slowly approaching him with a curious look on his face.

Teddie had noticed him while looking around, seeing him as someone strange with an umbrella over their head which was a little odd to see since no one else at this festival was using one. He could only see Yu's face from the nose down, which made him wonder if this person was a lady from how feminine their face looked. "Excuse me, miss? May I ask, why do you hide your pretty face under this…?" he asked gently, yet it almost made the 'lady' jump in shock either way.

"What? Oh, uh…"

…That voice sounded familiar.

Blinking once, Teddie decided to peek under the umbrella so he could see the person's face hidden underneath it… and it was none other than Yu himself. "S…Sensei?" His eyes widened in surprise to see that the silver-haired boy was actually the 'lady' he thought this person was. Upon being found out, Yu's face flushed slightly as he quickly tried to explain himself, the truth and lies in his story mixing together in his panic. "I-it's a gift from a friend. Nanako wanted me to try these out, and, um…"

The light blonde boy only stared for a good moment before his face broke into a huge smile. "You look absolutely beautiful, Sensei!"

That exclamation got Kanji and Yosuke to look behind themselves, only to witness Teddie fawning over someone who they immediately recognised as the guy who they’ve been waiting for a few minutes now. The brunette boy was mostly astonished to see his best friend dressed in a yukata of all things, while the younger boy next to him seemed to freeze at the sight. Kanji's face reddened darkly the moment it hit him that Yu was wearing a yukata that was very fitting for his appearance and figure.

It's too fitting.

This is bad.

"Really…?" Yu was slightly embarrassed at the attention he got now. "…Thanks."

"Well, that's one nice yukata," Yosuke said while crossing his arms, an intrigued smile on his face. "But what's with the hair ornament…?" he then asked, pointing at the snow white kanzashi in the silver-haired boy's hair. Yu lifted a hand to touch it, smiling sheepishly. "Nanako made me wear it. A friend of mine gave it to me since he had no other use for it."

"Ah, alright. Gotta keep her wishes, huh?"

"Yes… since we're all here, why don't we get something first?"

"Sure, we still got time before those girls arrive." Yosuke looked at Kanji who's been silent all this while. "Kanji, what're you up for?"

"Whuh?" The blonde boy then snapped out of his stupor, the flush on his face hidden by the dim lighting of the lanterns around them. It took him a few seconds to form some semblance of a sentence for Yosuke's question. "S-some ikayaki would be great!" he hurriedly answered, grinning nervously. Teddie perked up at that, looking excited. "Ooh, I wanna get some too! Kanji, what's ikayaki?"

Yu just chuckled at Teddie's evident excitement. "Let's go get some, then."

So, they did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After they all got some snacks from the food stalls set up at the shrine, everyone noticed that the girls weren't here yet.

"Man, they're late… why were they meeting up at Yukiko's house in the first place?" Yosuke muttered, looking around. He got a text message that early evening from Rise, telling that they'll be coming a little later as they were meeting up at Yukiko's place first. The purpose of that meeting, he had no idea what.

Kanji could only shrug, trying not to stare at Yu as he did. "They'll show up sooner or-" He was cut off by Teddie's gasp.

"Whoa, isn't that them?" Teddie's eyes widened at the sight that approached them – it turned out that the girls went there to get dressed in yukatas too, including Nanako. Kanji abruptly turned around, unable to face the girls that all looked beautiful and cute in those outfits, especially after witnessing Yu dressed as such as well. However, Yosuke and Teddie just seemed thrilled at what they saw. Chie smiled apologetically at the four boys, dressed in a white yukata with a green and yellow floral design. "Sorry we took so long."

"It took us some time to get dressed," Yukiko added, dressed in a blue yukata with a more intricate floral design of lotuses and chrysanthemums. As for Rise, she was dressed in a red yukata with butterfly patterns. "You have to wrap towels inside, so they're not as breezy as everyone says."

Nanako smiled cheerfully. "It's kinda hard to walk…"

"You look cute in it," Yu told her, smiling softly at the little girl - that pink yukata with a checkered pattern fit her perfectly. She was even wearing one of the hair clips he got for her. At his comment, Nanako giggled happily as her cheeks were dusted pink. Even Teddie felt the same way as the silver-haired boy. "Nana-chan, you look so cute! I'm head over heels for you!" he complimented her.

The little girl giggled again. "Thank you."

"Ooh, Senpai! You're wearing a yukata too!" Rise noted that Yu was dressed in a yukata as well. She didn't miss the little kanzashi on the silver-haired teenager's head. "Though, why are you wearing a hair ornament…?" she asked. Yu shifted a little, glancing at Nanako. "Nanako wanted me to wear it, and… well, you know the rest." He smiled despite the slight embarrassment at being found wearing a kanzashi. The idol slowly nodded in understanding, getting an idea of what he meant while she giggled. "Okay! By the way, how do we look, Senpai? Does the sight make your heart skip a beat?"

Now Yu was a little hesitant to answer. They all looked good in the yukatas, but if he really had to pick… Yukiko seemed to fit it better. "…It suits Yukiko the best," he eventually answered. Yukiko's cheeks grew a rosy hue at his answer, smiling as she did. "Oh, n-not at all. You're probably just used to seeing me in one…"

As they chatted, Yosuke noticed that Kanji has been looking away from the girls and keeping quiet. "Kanji? What're you looking away for? Don't tell me you're ashamed to look! What are you, a monk…?"

Kanji tensed up. "Th-That ain't it!"

"Ahaha! You're so cute, Kanji." Rise just laughed at his reaction, causing the blonde boy to huff quietly.

At that moment, everyone saw a familiar face approaching them, so they turned around to face said person – it was Yu's uncle. "Hey… thanks for looking after her." He was wearing the new tie his nephew gave him, which didn't go unnoticed by the silver-haired boy. "Oh… you're wearing the new tie I gave you." Yu slightly smiled at that. Dojima scratched the back of his head at the teenager's words. "Couldn't let it go unused, at least." His attention then went to Nanako who got closer to him with a bright smile. "They bought me cotton candy!"

The detective smiled back. "Did they now? Alright then, you wanna go over and do the target prac- I mean, game with me?"

"Uh-huh! Let's go!"

Dojima looked up at the group of teenagers. "I'll take care of Nanako from here. It's only a few times a year that this town gets charged up like this. You kids should go and have fun." He went ahead as Nanako waved goodbye first at the group before following her father. Everyone waved back in response, smiling gently at the little girl. After that moment, Teddie seemed to be thinking of an idea. "Hmmm, a summer festival… hrrrmmm…"

His hum of thought made the others look at him in confusion.

"A couple walking together at a festival… unused to wearing it, the girl's yukata comes loose… summer has begun," Teddie continued his thought. Chie could only raise an eyebrow at that. "What kinda tagline is that…?"

The light blonde boy grinned. "We gotta go two-by-two! Raaaawr!"

Everyone except Teddie glanced at each other, then looked at him again. "Two-by-two…?" Yukiko was a little puzzled on what he meant by that.

"See, I've been thinking. It's the summer, you're wearing yukata, and we're at a festival. It's just wrong for guys and girls to walk around in a huge group like this. We should couple up while we're here! It's the natural way of things!"

Kanji couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wh-What the hell are you babblin' about!?"

Before anyone else could put in another word, Rise spoke up with a cheery grin. "I'm with Teddie!" Seeing everyone excluding Teddie being shocked by her agreement, she began to explain. "C'mon, Senpai… why wear yukata in the first place? So we have memories we can remember fondly, right? So we should pair off right away!" Her cheerfulness in suggesting that made Yukiko and Chie look at each other with troubled expressions. "Rise… what a terrifying girl!" Chie whispered in shock before speaking out loud. "You got a point, though… good memories…"

"I-I'm fine too," Yukiko added with a slight stutter. "Oh, what I mean is, um… count me in."

The duo looked back at the boys. "Alright… y-you guys decide how we'll split up."

Now the group of boys stared at them, bewildered at being told that they'll be the ones to choose between the girls. "Huh? Seriously? It's up to us?" Yosuke nervously questioned, his voice cracking. "A-Alright…" So, he and the other boys took a few steps back to talk in a small circle. "Three guys and three girls… what should we do…?"

Teddie looked confused at the brunette boy's words. "Three guys? Aren't you missing one?"

"What? Me, him, and Kanji makes three."

"Whaaa!? You did that on purpose!"

Kanji glanced at the girls as the two bickered, his face turning red again at the sight. Though, it only grew when his eyes landed on Yu after that, making him hastily look away. "Uhhh… should I really do this?"

"Oh yeah… you can barely look at 'em…" Yosuke crossed his arms with a thoughtful look.

"N-No way! I can look at 'em! It'll be a chinch, just you watch!"

"Nah… you should bail, Kanji. It'd be best for everyone that way."

"Wha--!? You don't believe me!?"

Yu sighed quietly, deciding that he'll be the one to sit out the little outing. "It's alright. I'll be the one sitting out of this – I'm still feeling a bit sick from the journey back here." His choice shocked Yosuke and Kanji, the former a lot more considering that the silver-haired boy was better dressed for the occasion. "Dude, seriously? You don’t want to spend some time with one of them?" he asked with widened eyes. Yu nodded, an uneasy smile on his lips. "While it's a shame, but yes. I'll let you, Kanji and Teddie choose."

He can't tell them that he's refusing just because he'll feel awkward with any of the three.

What more, there's a sour taste in his mouth again.

Yosuke looked like he was about to ask his best friend to rethink his decision when Teddie soon spoke up, a decisive tone in his voice. "Well, I've made my decision…"

Kanji stared at him in irritation. "Hey, wait 'til we're done for that!" He was ignored by the light blonde boy who announced his decision anyway.

"I want Chie-chan and Yuki-chan and Rise-chan for my partner."

Even Yu was dumbfounded by that announcement. Yosuke grew annoyed, crossing his arms. "That's not a decision! Dude, you're the one who said we gotta pair off in the first place!" he told Teddie with a frown. Kanji felt just about the same. "I ain't joking here, Ted! If you try and butt in on this-" He was cut off by Teddie who had a serious expression on his face.

"That's right, Kanji! This is serious business! And you're a true man! A true man wouldn't be prancing around with other girls at a place like this!"

The blonde boy was silent for a moment. "O-Okay…?"

Yosuke held in the urge to groan, seeing that Kanji was slowly falling for Teddie's act. "How much more can you butter him up…?"

Nonetheless, the light blonde boy continued on. "Kanji! This is a test to see if you can uphold your status as a true man!" His serious face broke into a smile. "Phew… now no one will be left out." Somehow, his words did have an effect on Kanji who was thinking about what he just said. "Y-Yeah… you're right!" Kanji then smiled at him. "Thanks, Teddie! You said it. Okay, count me out."

That made Yosuke stare at the younger boy in disbelief. "Dude, come on! Don't fall for that!"

Going past the three boys, Teddie approached the girls with that same smile on his face. "It's decided! I'm going with all of you!" His words elicited a confused response from the girls and shock from Yosuke. Chie tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Oh, well, there were too many guys, so someone would have been left out… I just couldn't let that happen." Teddie just had to add some flare to it, using his charms.

…Wow. Way to be a terrible person.

The brunette boy gritted his teeth, about to lose it. "WHAT!? You little--!"

Of course, the girls bought it.

"Haha, I see." Chie seemed to understand where Teddie was coming from. So did Yukiko who nodded at his words. "You're so kind, Teddie…"

Rise wasn't too thrilled. "We let them decide and this is what we get? Awww, what a letdown… oh well… let's go, then." Still, she went ahead with Chie, Yukiko and Teddie to check out the stalls together, leaving the trio of boys alone. Yosuke's face just summarised the hilarity and strangeness of the whole situation which he eventually let fall. He sighed, glancing at Yu with a grimace. "…We fail, huh? An epic fail…" he muttered. The silver-haired boy could only smile sheepishly. "It could've been better."

They could hear the others' voices from ahead of them… they sounded like they were having a lot of fun.

"Hey! Teddie!? Why're you buying another idol's photo!? Mine's in there too!" That was Rise's voice.

Yosuke now felt like he could really punch a guy right now. "Aaaaargh, what's with this!?" He was further aggravated as he could hear Chie and Yukiko's voices – it could've been him having fun with at least one of the girls! But nooo... it had to just be Teddie who stole the spotlight. Yu just chuckled with a shake of his head, now knowing that they should probably not let Teddie join any parties again. "Come on, we'll just do things on our own then," he told the two others with him, smiling sheepishly.

"What can we even do? Teddie's got them all!" The brunette boy replied, looking downcast.

"I don't know about you, but I'll check out some of the stalls here. I've never gone to a summer festival before, so… excuse me." Yu went past his best friend and his crush, going to see some of the few stalls that were of games, food and accessories. He couldn't hear the chatter between the two boys after he left as the music playing drowned their voices out, though after a few moments he was surprised to see Kanji approach and stand next to him. "Hey, Senpai," The younger boy greeted.

"Kanji…?" The silver-haired boy blinked a few times in confusion. "What about Yosuke?"

"Ah, the guy's alright. He said that he'll be checking other stuff out on his own."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so…"

A silence slowly grew between them.

The old man handling the stall they were standing at noticed how awkward the two were and decided to clear his throat to get their attention. "Ahem! If you two are done chit-chatting, might I suggest a game of _wanage_? A prize could be won for the pretty lady next to you, young man!" he told the duo. Yu and Kanji's faces turned a bright red as they tried to deny what the old man just said, waving their hands in embarrassment. "I-I'm not a lady!" "We're not together!"

With a waving motion, the old man chuckled. "Whatever you two say. Come on, 300 yen for five rings or 500 for ten. Well?"

The two teenagers glanced at each other, unsure of what to say or do at this point. In the end, the younger one of the two spoke up, deciding to try out the game. "…Sure, I'd take up the challenge. Ten rings." He took out some money from his pocket, giving it to the old man who grinned gleefully. "Splendid! Here you go." Giving the blonde boy the ten rings, he stepped back to let Kanji do his throws. "Any prize you manage to get a ring on will be yours. Have fun!"

Yu was genuinely surprised that Kanji was going to try this. The prizes were all quite small, and the rings were just about wide enough to slip through the biggest one among all the prizes. Only one with good patience and accuracy could possibly get a prize. "Are you sure you can get one?"

Looking back at his senpai, Kanji grinned as he shrugged. "I ain't backing out of a challenge." Plus, the prizes were all really cute – it would be great to get one for himself… and maybe another for the silver-haired boy. "Mm, good luck then," Yu bid him while he smiled, admiring the younger boy's attempt to try a ring toss game. He watched as Kanji tried his best at tossing the rings at the prizes, but in the end, he wasn't able to get any. The old man came back into view with a small smile. "Would you like to try again, young man?"

"…How about I try this time?" Yu suggested, walking up to the stall while taking out some coins from a pouch attached to his obi. "We can even share the rings. Does that sound good?"

Kanji thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Sure, let's do this!"

Thus, the silver-haired teenager gave the old man some money for ten rings, giving five to Kanji while keeping the rest for himself. The end result was that they were left with their last rings, the previous ones having failed to caught onto any prize.

"Seems like I'm not that good at this." Yu sheepishly smiled at the sight of the table full of rings, at which none of them were on a prize. "I'm down to my last one…" he murmured as he held up his last ring. Kanji did the same, looking at his ring with a wry smile. "Me too, Senpai."

"Let's see how this one goes, then."

Choosing to leave it up to fate, they tossed their rings.

By chance, both landed on two different prizes.

The old man clapped in applause, picking up the two prizes and giving them to the stunned teenagers. "There you go… one for you, and one for you. Enjoy!" He gave the two a cheery smile, letting Yu and Kanji walk away slowly with the small prizes in their arms. It was Yu who eventually broke the silence between them, speaking up quietly. "Did we just land ourselves a prize on our last rings?" he asked, finally taking a look at his prize. Kanji was reacting to the situation just like him, a bit shocked at it all. "I guess…?"

Both of their prizes were cute figurines of famous cartoon characters… a pretty good memento as a memory for tonight.

Maybe they could get some more.

"…Wanna try out the other games, Senpai?"

"...Why not?"

=~*~*~*~*~*~

Chatter filled the dimly illuminated streets of the shopping district, a pair of two figures slowly walking down towards a certain textiles store with prizes in their arms.

"I have to admit – all of those games were quite fun," Yu said as he smiled, his hands full with a few prizes they managed to win from the game stalls at the festival. Kanji laughed a little, grinning widely with his arms full of prizes too. "The summer festivals are always a blast here, Senpai!"

"It's a shame that I couldn't see how it always was before the murders happened… it must've been really crowded during those days."

"Hell yeah they were. It ain't so bad if the crowds are thin, anyway. We got some stuff to make up for it!"

"That's right."

They were now standing in front of the store Kanji's mother ran, about to part for the night.

"Well, see ya later, Yu-senpai," Kanji bid goodbye to his senior who smiled gently at him. "Goodnight, Kanji." Yu then quietly excused himself to leave, beginning to walk back home with the oil-paper umbrella still over his head. The blonde boy stared at him as he left, a gentle silvery glow draped on his form from the moonlight of the waxen half-moon in the night sky. For some reason, the time they spent together tonight was one of the best outings Kanji has ever had. It was… thrilling.

The yukata and the kanzashi was a perfect fit on Yu, too. It'd be a dream to have another moment with the silver-haired boy like this.

…Oh…

Oh _no_.

A heavy realisation instantly dawned on him, and it made him feel like he could collapse right then and there. This isn’t just some casual feelings of friendship now.

He's… actually in love. With Yu Narukami.

A _boy_.

Oh, fuck.


	35. End of Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer break slowly reaches its end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell, I procrastinated A LOT. I was so lazy to write this chapter after a whole month and few days of not writing anything (still hoping my exam went well, won't be getting results until next year's March), then I ended up playing an old childhood MMO of mine (Toontown Rewritten, anyone?) so much I grew interested in the bosses in that game... if you saw the new fanfic I posted, erh, that's the result of it.
> 
> This chapter was tough to write, mostly because I had forgotten what alternative terms I used for the characters. I almost forgot to write about the gifts Yui got for the gang and added that in a while ago. There's also my strange addiction for robots... welp, I'm a strange one.
> 
> Shoutouts to: 09Alice1, SapphireSpear, SilverWolverine, Okami_g, Not_An_Author, Bilbosama, and SkylynnShimmertail for their support during my exam period!
> 
> Either way, thank you everyone who has read this story for all of your support for both this fanfic and me! Enjoy this chapter (and its possible mistakes), it's been long overdue. My writing style may look a little weird... sorry about that.
> 
> Oh... and I'll be away for another three weeks starting 18th December on a trip to visit my grandmother, which would be the first time visiting her ever since my grandfather passed on sometime during August this year, bless his soul. Sorry about that, but I know I'm gonna be seeing some fire and pitchforks among you readers... ;w;

The morning after the first day of the festival left Yui feeling… absentminded, in a sense.

That night was the closest she ever got to dressing up in feminine clothes, even if it was only a yukata and haori. The passing minutes she spent with Kanji would replay in her mind over and over, and a smile would slowly appear on her lips each time she reminisced it. The spell was eventually broken by the ringing of her cell in her pocket, so with a heavy sigh, she answered the call and put her phone to her ear. "Hello?"

_"Hello? It's me."_

Ai Ebihara again? She's been calling her quite a lot for the last few days lately…

_"You got time today? I heard there's a festival going on at the shrine."_

The silver-haired girl blinked once. What about it?

_"…Do you get it? I'm inviting you to come with me."_

Oh. She could've just said _that_.

Well, there wasn't anything much Yui wanted to do today other than rest up. Wearing layers of traditional clothing was no easy feat, even if it looked simple. She could probably take up on Ai's offer. "Sure, I got time. Let's go tonight, then."

_"Okay. I'll see you in a bit."_

The call ended there.

Seems like she had plans tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As they had planned earlier that day, Yu and Ai met up at the Tatsuhime Shrine at night.

The same mobile stalls from yesterday were lined up by the sides of the stone pathway, a few people trying out what they offered. The blonde girl looked around for a moment, taking in the sight. "This place looks pretty dead. I thought there'd be more to do… oh well." She then looked at the boy in front of her with a small smile. "Why don't we start off with… candied apples!" She then glanced at the stall that sold candied apples, which Yu noticed after following her gaze.

With a nod in response, Yu went with her to that stall. Before that however, Ai then realised something. "Oh wait, before we do that, we should make a wish at the shrine."

The silver-haired boy only raised an eyebrow.

"…Why are you making that face? It's common sense."

Might as well.

The two teenagers then approached the shrine, which was still somewhat rundown after a long age of being unused. Ai turned her head to look at Yu curiously, a question on her mind. "So, what are you gonna wish for?" she asked him.

Admittedly, there's a lot one could wish for. They could wish for good grades, money, or even to be closer to a certain person. But he had no such desires – he has been doing well in his studies, and money is no big trouble if he was careful with it. As for the last one… he would rather not say that out loud. Thus, with a mental sigh, he resorted to the first choice. All of that fighting in the TV world might have taken some of his free time with it. "Just good grades."

Ai gave him a look. "…I see. You're such a go-getter." It then fell into a casual smile. "Alright, let's make these wishes."

~*~*~*~*~*~

After making their wishes, which Yu noted that he felt rather smarter after he finished making his, they went back to the stall selling candied apples. The man handling the stall greeted them. "Hello there! I've got the best candy apples in town!" Then the guy noticed Ai standing next to Yu. "Hm? What a beautiful lady you have there. You must be lucky! I'll add a lottery ticket for each time you buy!"

This got the blonde girl's attention. "Huh?"

"You'll get a chance to draw a lottery at the torii when you buy something from the stands there. The prizes range from cheap trinkets to fabulous, magnificent items!"

There was a small silence that remained between the three as those words sank in, until Ai moved a lock of her blonde hair out of her face. If anything, Yu could almost sense an excitement in her. "…Alright, I'll give it a try!" she said. "Gimme ten candied apples."

Yu stared at her with a startled expression. Is she serious?

~*~*~*~*~*~

…She was serious.

Ai ended up buying ten orders of okonomiyaki and played the goldfish scooping game thirty times. While that was overdoing it, Yu supposed that it was good for the community at least. They went to the man handling the lottery at the torii, bringing the tickets they got from the blonde girl's buying spree. When the man counted the tickets, he was genuinely surprised. "Hm… you've got… whoa, 50 tickets?!" He smiled thankfully at the pair. "Thanks for your support. I'll go get the lottery box."

As the man left, Ai looked at Yu next to her. "No way I'm wasting my time doing 50 draws… how 'bout you do it for me? Make sure you get the grand prize, though!"

The silver-haired boy merely smiled nervously. "…I'll try."

After a few moments, the man returned while holding a box. "Close your eyes and draw your prize."

With a wordless nod, Yu did as he was told and drew fifty tickets. It wasn’t until the very last ticket did he heard a cheer from the man holding the box, making him open his eyes to see a bright smile on the guy's face. "Congratulations! You've drawn the grand prize!" The man congratulated the two. A smile graced Ai's lips upon hearing those words. "Yes! What is it?"

"The grand prize is… a bale of rice."

"…A bale of rice?" The blonde girl frowned and shook her head. "I don't want it. Too heavy."

"Wh-What? It may be heavy, but rice is a nutritious part of a balanced meal! Well… h-here, how 'bout this instead?" The man took out something from his pocket, giving it to Ai. "It's a coupon you can use at the Inaba Shopping District."

Now a smile appeared on Ai's face. "…Better than a bale of rice. Thanks." She then held something out at Yu. "I'll give the other prize to you. Here ya go." It was a book of some sort, with a title called 'The Divine Way'. Yu stared at it for a moment, wondering if it was written by the people at the shrine. The title was too relatable to spiritual things… nonetheless, he took it with a say of thanks.

 After all that, Ai decided that they should head back. "Well, we better get home."

"I suppose. It's gotten quite late." Yu nodded in agreement, looking up at the same half-moon in the sky. He glanced at the blonde girl by his side who still smiled.

"I had a blast today. See ya later."

"Goodbye, then."

They finally parted for the night.

* * *

 

Monday was mostly uneventful other than Yu going to the day care centre to work and also spending some time to talk with Eri Minami. As for Tuesday, he didn't do much during the day other than eat at the Aiya Diner, but at night, Nanako asked him for some help. Although the end of summer was fast approaching, his cousin still had some homework left to do. According to her, there's a huge pile of homework… the objective of her homework was to tighten the bond between family members by doing homework together.

…Undoubtedly, it's too much for Nanako to finish all by herself. There's no way he's letting her do it on her own.

Hearing that he'll help her out, Nanako's face broke out into a big smile. "Really!? Thank you, big bro! Umm… then I'll start working on spelling practice." She started working on her homework, doing her best to practice her spelling. She seemed to be doing well, but Yu decided to double-check her work anyway. All the better to help his cousin with improvements.

After Nanako finished her spelling, he put her to bed and returned to his room for the night.

* * *

 

Come Wednesday, Yu recalled something very important – he had homework too.

"…Damn it." He had totally forgotten, and it took Nanako asking for help with her own homework to remember it. At least it'll only take him a few days to do it… maybe he could do it during the daytime since he had promised Nanako that he'll help her with homework every night. In the meantime, he was in no mood to do it today so he ditched the books and went out to town. While walking down the path of the shopping district, he noticed a familiar blonde boy standing by the textile shop.

Smiling slightly, he approached him and greeted the guy casually. "Hey, Kanji."

"Gyah!" Kanji flinched slightly at the greeting, turning around to face his school senior in surprise. His face seemed a little reddish… maybe he's been out in the sun for too long. "S-Senpai! I, uh, didn't see ya there!"

"It's okay, Kanji." The silver-haired boy chuckled slightly. "I was just wandering around town for something to do when I saw you, so I'm just here to say hello."

"Right." The younger boy stood around awkwardly, averting his eyes away from the person in front of him. He seemed to be contemplating something for a few moments before he straightened himself. "Senpai… got some time to spend?"

"Huh? Oh, sure, I don't have much to do today."

"…Sweet!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went down to the Samegawa riverbank at Kanji's request.

"I can't get this place outta my head," Kanji admitted, staring at the sparkling river. "I keep wonderin' if that rabbit the kid tossed out mighta washed ashore around here... if he finds it now, he'll just feel bad." Then he turned his gaze away from the river, shaking the thought out of his head. "...Not that I'm wading in today or anything."

Yu was about to say something in response when a childish voice called out from afar.

"Hey, Mister!!"

Well, there's the kid himself. He ran over to the two teenagers, smiling gleefully at the younger one of the pair. "There you are! Sana-chan was really happy!! I've been looking for you ever since!"

Kanji sighed at being called 'mister' again. "Look, kid, quit callin'... ah, forget it."

"Can you make some more, Mister? My mom really wants one! Sana-chan's mom does too! They said they'll pay you!"

"Pay me!?" The blonde teenager's eyes widened in shock. "I don't need that... i-it ain't like I'm a pro at this."

"My mom wants a cat, and Sana-chan's mom wants a dog. And my teacher wants a pink alligator."

Kanji scratched the back of his head for a moment, looking unsure. "A pink alligator? Ohh, like the one in that storybook, huh...? F-Fine, then... I'll get around to it sometime."

"Yay! Thank you! Remember, you promised!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The kid then left, leaving Yu and Kanji alone again. The latter still wouldn't let his eyes meet his school senior's own. "Strange situation I got myself into, ain't it?"

"Well… I think it's good for you," Yu said his opinion, smiling cheerfully at the blonde boy. Kanji could only tilt his head with a slight flush to his face, not expecting such a bright smile from someone who he just realised his affection for. "G-good…? I don't really know," he muttered, looking away again. "When I was in elementary school, I fixed a classmate's bag this one time. Thinking back... I guess I liked her."

Yu tried to hold in his grimace. He should not let his emotions play its course now.

So, he kept quiet and listened on.

"I only did it to make her happy, but... the next day, all the girls were makin' fun of her… she cried. I didn't understand why, but y'know... I thought I'd done something wrong. So I never thought... I'd be thanked for doing this stuff." A small smile slowly managed to make its way onto Kanji's lips. "Haha, it feels good. Hearin' 'thank you'... I like it!" He laughed sheepishly at the experience, to which Yu managed to smile at as well despite the memory that was just told.

With it, the _Emperor Social Link_ grew ever stronger.

After he stopped laughing, Kanji then noticed the time. "Oh... well, I gotta jet."

"Hm? But it's still quite early, though…" Yu told him, glancing at his watch. They would usually talk for much longer than this. When he looked up at the blonde boy again, he saw the reddish hue on Kanji's face grow slight darker.

"I have to go to Okina Station. To the, uh... f-fabric shop. I'm outta material, so... l-later!" Kanji then ran off, leaving the silver-haired boy to chuckle slightly at his antics. It must not be easy to admit yet that he needed to buy fabrics after a long while of acting as the 'tough guy'.

However, he wouldn't ever know that a small part of the blonde boy's reason for leaving so early was also because of how he felt…

* * *

 

Yu spent last night helping Nanako out with her homework as promised, although he hadn't expected to get a visitor at that time of night. Make that two, because said visitors were Teddie and Yosuke who also helped his cousin out with her summer homework which involved writing three proverbs this time.

Thursday came with a heavy downpour, so he spent the day doing his summer homework. Nothing too hard, it mostly just reviewing topics from the last semester.

When night fell, he once again helped Nanako with her homework when someone came by to the house. It was Yukiko and Chie, the latter who he was kind of awkward to see after he had indirectly rejected her feelings the second last time they hung out. Despite all that, the two girls helped his cousin out with her homework like Yosuke and Teddie did, this time about writing an essay about something Nanako remembered. They suggested to write about the night they went to the festival, and Nanako had happily chosen to write about it.

He didn't forget to give Yukiko his gift to her, which made the black-haired girl giggle excitedly when she saw the weird pair of glasses. She'll definitely cherish it… how though, he wasn’t going to imagine it.

Well, if only things could be this nice back at home.

* * *

 

Friday was clear of the dark and heavy clouds that brought the downpour.

It was too nice of a day to spend inside, hence Yu decided to go and work at the day care centre. Like before, he was tugged by the kids from all directions, yet he hadn't forgotten to see what Yuuta was doing every once in a while. After almost all of the children were taken back home by their parents, Eri then arrived to bring Yuuta back too, though the boy wouldn't look at her. "Yuu-kun, I'm here. Let's go home."

She got no response from her stepson.

With a small yet nervous laugh, Eri suggested something else with a bright smile on her lips. "Where do you want to eat dinner? We can go somewhere expensive if you want."

"...I'm not hungry. I'm gonna play more!" Yuuta replied before running off.

The brunette woman could only watch her stepson run off, her smile falling. "...I'll come later next time. I even left in the middle of a show just to be on time... I'm getting fed up with this treatment." She sighed, making the silver-haired teenager look at her quietly. She continued on with a sombre voice. "I should have known better than to try. We're not related, so there's nothing I can do about it..."

Yu then spoke up. "So, you can't love Yuuta?"

He only got silence from her, albeit for a moment.

"They say when a woman starts breast-feeding, her maternal instincts awaken," Eri said, which made the teenager standing in front of her raise an eyebrow. She still kept a solemn look on her face. "...It's true, I saw it on television. So, my maternal instinct towards him is shut away, especially since I've only known him for six months. There's nothing I can do... fate has determined that we will be forever distant." After saying those words, she stared back at Yu. "Speaking of fate, have you heard this? Your entire life is determined from before you were even born."

That got Yu's attention. _Fate_ , huh?

"We're just little robots following the program our creator made for us. So, whenever anything happens, there's nothing you can do about it... it was already decided for you." Eri smiled at that thought. "Doesn't that make you feel better? Isn't that a wonderful idea?"

Well, in a way, it did. If he was fated to be the heir of his grandfather's company despite what he has done to avoid it, he could probably give it all up with a sound mind since he had at least _tried_ to escape it. He only nodded, speaking quietly in agreement. "You're right…"

"Amazing, isn't it? I saw it on TV. I was so intrigued, I went to see a lecture by that speaker, too. I was moved to tears... I was so relieved to know that there's a higher power!" Eri's eyes were glittering while she said that, laughing happily. It didn't last long however, and her smile fell again. "There really isn't much to do when you live this far away from the city... all I have is TV and the internet. You can buy things over the net now! It's much more convenient. In fact, I'm having trouble staying in shape. Honestly, though... I just want to go back to the city."

There's no use in regretting past decisions.

"Just let it go," Yu told her, a soft look on his face. Eri smiled wryly at him. "Yeah... I gave up on that a long time ago."

Another silence fell between the two for a few seconds, which was only broken when Eri gazed at the silver-haired teenager with a worried look. "...I really tell you a lot of personal things. Please, don't tell Yuu-kun... or the other mothers."

"…Why would I?" Yu knew when to keep a secret. This is one of them.

"...Thank you, Mister Yu." A relieved look appeared on the brunette woman's face. She seemed to be opening up to him out of deep loneliness… one that Yu could relate to in a sense, since his life in the city was mostly without any social interaction.

The _Temperance Social Link_ grew in strength with that awareness.

Eri then glanced at her watch, realising the time. "...Oh my, look at the time! I'm sorry, Mister Yu. I'll take Yuu-kun home now."

"Ah, alright. Goodbye, then."

The mother and son pair left awkwardly and abruptly, and Yu decided to go home after getting his pay. He hoped that he could help them out further…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Nanako's homework involved writing a book report about a book she had already read, so she just needed to write it at that point. She put a lot of effort into it, murmuring what she was about to write as she did. Yu looked over her writing and spelling, just to make sure she didn't make any mistakes.

"Um, big bro?"

The silver-haired teenager snapped out of his focus when he heard his cousin call for him. "Yes?"

"Do you feel happy when you're alone?"

…That's a hard question to answer.

It depends, really. He would desire to be alone after getting a scolding from his parents or grandfather, or even after getting involved in something during school. But loneliness would always rear its ugly head when he stayed alone for too long, even more so now that he had actual _friends_. Considering his options, he went with the better answer. "No, I don't."

Nanako smiled happily at him. "Oh, good. Neither do I! Hahaha!"

Once she finished her report, Yu put her to bed and returned to his room to sleep for the night.

* * *

 

Saturday was another rainy day, so he spent it doing the rest of his homework. He still had a few more questions to do by the time evening fell, but he decided to leave it since it was time he helped Nanako again with her homework. This time, it was an art homework… his cousin had to make something out of stuff she found in the house. All she found was a milk carton, a paper towel tube, some knitting wool and origami paper… she wasn't even sure if that was all they had.

Before they could think more about it, the doorbell rang.

Apparently, Kanji and Rise came by to visit just like the other four in their group did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As everyone took a seat at the table except for Rise who sat at the sofa, Yu and Kanji kept their gazes away from each other while the dark brunette girl behind them spoke.

If only they knew.

"Senpai said that Nanako-chan was doing her summer homework. You should've told me!" Rise said, frowning a little at not being told about Nanako's homework. It soon fell though, now looking like she regretted something. "…But, it looks like I picked the wrong day to come. I can't do any of this art stuff."

That explains it.

"Me neither…" Nanako murmured, staring at the materials on the table sadly. Even Yu had no idea what to make with all those things - he's trained in the art of fabrics and business, not to make things with them! The only thing he knew how to make were paper cranes, just a little hobby he picked up after seeing the charity work on the town bulletin board one day. Still, it didn't help.

Kanji then glanced at the materials on the table. "Huh… let me see what you've got."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone watched in awe and surprise as Kanji carefully crafted something with incredible detail… and created something that no elementary student could make.

"Wow, Kanji… this is amazing," Yu admitted with a sheepish smile. "You're really good at this."

"Huh? Oh, er, thanks…" Kanji's face appeared to have turned a shade of red, though he kept his eyes focused on the little craft he made so his school senior wouldn't notice the colour on his face. Thankfully, he calmed down by the time he finished, enjoying the bright smile Nanako gave him. It was enough for him as a 'thank you' for his help.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Eventually it was time Nanako went to bed, so Yu put his cousin to bed first before going back downstairs to bid his two friends goodbye. As he did so, he quickly grabbed the last two gifts for Rise and Kanji from his room, hiding them behind him as he led the two to the door. "Thanks for coming over, guys. Before you go, I got some things for you." He revealed the gifts, which the two younger teenagers were surprised to see.

"Wow, thank you, senpai!" Rise received her gift with such a huge smile, excited at getting one from someone like Yu Narukami. As for Kanji, he was stunned to receive a gift in the first place, what else from his own crush. "T-thanks, senpai."

Yu just chuckled at their reactions, a friendly smile on his lips. "It's nothing much, but I tried to get what I think you guys would like anyway. Thanks again for coming."

The three teenagers then bid their goodbyes.

* * *

 

Sunday was another clear day.

By the time he got ready to go out to town, Yu had gotten a call from Rise who asked if he wanted to spend the day with her. He had nothing much to do, so he agreed to her offer and spent the day with her. He was genuinely surprised to see her wearing the one-piece dress he got for her, which was a blue flowing dress with a water-like design. It fit her just right.

After a few hours, they were now returning home after a trip to Okina City.

Rise giggled as she walked down the road with Yu. "I placed lots of special orders. Come with me next time when I go pick 'em up, Senpai." She soon stopped walking to face him, a cheerful smile on her face. "I had tons of fun today. Not many people tried to come up and talk... maybe they already forgot who I am." A thought then came to her mind. "Oh, yeah. Want some tofu to take home? I helped make them today. Wait right here." She ran off, leaving Yu standing there as he waited for her.

At that moment, someone called him.

"Excuse me... Yu-san, is it?"

That voice sounded familiar.

Turning around, Yu found himself facing Rise's manager from the other day. "Oh… it's you."

"Ummm... sorry about the other day... I'm Minoru Inoue, Rise Kujikawa's former manager," The man introduced himself, wearing the same blue suit he had been wearing before. "I'm sorry to bother you, but... could you give this to her?" He gave the silver-haired teenager a letter. "A fan letter came, you see..."

"Why not give it to her yourself?"

"I don't think she'd take it from me... and Rise always did look forward to this girl's letters... in today's cult of personality, being popular carries its own problems. Your schedule fits together, minute by minute, like a jigsaw puzzle... every day you're squeezed utterly dry... but even knowing that, I still want her to come back... she was genuinely brilliant... not only that, but she's strong enough to use her pain as a foundation," Inoue explained to him. "From what I could see... she's relying on you. So could you...?"

Before the man could finish, Rise's voice could be heard from afar. "Sorry, Senpai, but we're all sold out..."

…Then she arrived. Her eyes fell onto her old manager, and her smile turned into a look of frustration. "Inoue-san!? Quit pestering me! Wait... what did you say to Senpai!?" She began to shoo the man away, making Inoue flustered.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm leaving now... goodbye..."

Rise's former manager then ran off, leaving Rise and Yu alone. The former was still annoyed at the intrusion, huffing slightly. "Hounding me even after I quit... he's practically a stalker! To think I trusted him... I feel betrayed!"

After hearing Inoue's words, Yu had one question in mind that he just had to ask. "You're really quitting?"

The dark brunette girl looked at him in shock, though it was quickly replaced with a furious expression. "Senpai... why are you asking me that all of a sudden? Inoue did say something to you, didn't he!?" She remained that way for a few instants until that furiousness slowly faded away. Then she asked about Inoue's intentions for approaching him, a solemn frown on her lips. "So... what did he come for?"

Yu told her why Inoue came and handed her the fan letter.

Rise gazed at it sorrowfully. "This letter... she wrote again... I see... but he came all the way out here for this...?" She became quiet for a few seconds, that sorrowful look in her eyes turning melancholic. "This girl is a middle school student. She writes to me all the time. I did this public service campaign once to stamp out bullying... she said it inspired her... she wrote that she wouldn't let bullies get her down, that she'd try to make friends... ever since then, she wrote me letters... 'This happened to me today', 'I was able to say this', stuff like that."

She smiled sadly at the silver-haired boy. "'Seeing Risette work hard encourages me', 'It makes me feel like I can still hang in there...'. Haha, she doesn't really know how it works, huh? But still, every time I read her letters, I felt like Risette actually meant something... so whenever things got tough, I would read them over and over..." She let her gaze fall back to the letter once more, sadly staring at it for another moment. Then she spoke up in a quiet voice. "Senpai... do you still have some free time...?"

He's got the whole day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went to the shrine, sitting at the steps in silence as Rise seemed to be deep in thought after reading the fan letter.

"...She's worried about me. Officially, I'm taking a break due to illness, so..." Rise told the silver-haired boy sitting next to her before trailing off, staring at the stone pathway in front of them. She became quiet for a while, the only sounds filling the silence being the chirping of birds and noise from cicadas.

Yu didn't say a word during this period, letting the dark brunette girl say her words when she felt like it. Eventually he heard her voice again, albeit in a quiet tone.

"Before I quit, there was talk about a part in a movie... she sounds like she was really looking forward to it... 'Please get well soon and come back', she says..."

Another silence.

The older teenager of the two soon found a thankful smile gracing Rise's lips.

"I'm so glad you were here. I was scared to read it alone... I gave up on being Risette. I can't meet her expectations..."

Yu could only give her a reassuring smile. "…She'll understand."

"Yeah... I hope someday... I can say, 'Thank you'. And 'I'm sorry'." Rise then averted her gaze, looking down at the stone pathway again. Her eyes seem to be watering. "Sorry, huh...? …There's nothing to be depressed about. Haha..." She quickly wiped her eyes of the tears, managing to keep strong despite the turmoil in her heart. "Anyway, Risette doesn't exist anymore. It's not just this girl. I disappointed lots of other people... the president of the company told me that over and over, and I knew already... I knew this was the path I chose, but..." She fell quiet yet again.

"…Rise?" This was starting to sound worrying.

To Yu's surprise, he watched as Rise smiled brightly at him after being distressed just moments ago.

"Maybe I'll just inherit the tofu shop! I'm the shop's main attraction now. I bet I could make it thrive!" Rise said, getting up to stand in front of her school senior. "...Senpai. Maybe we should really do it... y'know, what I was saying a while back. You could marry me once we graduate high school, and the two of us could work at the tofu shop together. Doesn't that sound fun? H-How about it? Haha...ha..."

The silver-haired boy blinked once, taken aback at the suggestion. Marry her after they graduated high school? That's impossible considering his situation! But he can't just blatantly refuse her either… maybe he could just… play it safe. "…If you're serious…" he replied softly, trying his hardest not to break under the lie he has made for himself.

"If I'm serious...? I think I'm pretty serious..." Rise seemed confused at his words. "You're always so calm. But... I like that." She smiled sheepishly at him, a soft pinkish colour on her cheeks. "Thank you, Senpai. For being with me all of today... I feel a bit better. Yeah... I'm fine. I can contribute something... and it looks like there are still plenty of things only I can do..."

Yu could sense the dark brunette girl's quiet will… today's events made him understand her a little better despite the matter of marriage suddenly coming into play a while ago.

As a result, the _Lovers Social Link_ became stronger.

"Sorry for dragging you around all day," Rise told him, smiling apologetically. "I'll let you go now."

Yu got up with a nod. "Alright. I'll walk you home, then." It's the least he could do for her.

…How will things go from here…?

* * *

 

Monday came along with the rain all over again, and since it was too risky to delay doing the rest of his homework, Yu finished it all during the day time.

He helped Nanako with her homework last night which involved writing a paper about her favourite animal, so she chose to write about platypuses when she recalled the picture on the shirt her father bought for her. As for tonight, Nanako only needed to write a picture diary. With that, her summer homework was finally finished.

He's going to need a break from words.

* * *

 

Tuesday was cloudy for a change, but it was better to go out than stay cooped up inside.

Yu ended up meeting Yukiko at her usual spot by the bookstore, to which he decided to spend his day with after a small suggestion from her. They went to the shrine since the black-haired girl wanted to pay her respects. Yukiko looked at him curiously once they were in front of the shrine. "Are you going to wish for something too?"

"Well…" Yu wasn't a person to fully believe in superstitious things, but he'll do it just for the sake of it. Maybe a wish for himself – God knows he needs it for the coming future. "For me..."

This made Yukiko grow concerned. "Worried about something? I-If it's all right with you, I don't mind helping!"

"It's okay, really. Just something that'll come to pass." The silver-haired boy gave her a reassuring smile. Yukiko managed to smile back before she focused back on the shrine. "I'm wishing for everyone's health. For Chie, for you, for the others... and everyone at the inn, too. And... I'm wishing to become a woman worthy of you... Yu-kun."

…What?

Yukiko missed the shocked expression on Yu's face as she continued on. "Finally, I wish for everyone to be able to smile together..." When she finally gazed at him, he held a calm look instead. She didn't suspect anything off. "...Let's begin our prayer."

The silver-haired boy nodded, and they both held their hands together in front of them to start praying for their wishes.

After a while of silence passed, Yukiko spoke up. "I've decided not to leave Inaba. I never really objected to being the inn's manager per se... I just didn't like the fact that it wasn't up to me... I felt that my life was on rails. And I thought running away was the only choice for me... but no longer. I want to protect the family inn. After all, it's near to my heart..." She smiled gently at Yu. "…Thank you. Yu-kun. I think it's because of you that I realised this. Because you were always by my side..."

Her determination seemed to make her look more mature.

…The _Priestess Social Link_ grew stronger.

Yu watched as Yukiko eventually turned her head away from him, her face turning a shade of red. "U-Umm, I wanted to ask you this before..."

Oh boy. Here it comes.

"Wh-Why... why are you always with me...?" Yukiko was blushing heavily once she asked that. "I-Is it okay... for me to ask...?"

Nope.

Yu was mentally panicking even though he seemed calm on the outside. Not another confession… it was hard enough rejecting Chie in the first place, and now Yukiko has gone and fallen for him too. He'll just have to say the obvious thing and hope for the best. Again. "Because… you're my friend." He was holding in the urge to cringe at the pitiful situation they both were in now. He waited with bated breath as he watched Yukiko take in his words.

"I see…" Yukiko fell silent for a moment, then quickly looked away from the silver-haired boy in front of her. "Y-Yes, precisely! Oh, I just remembered... I have an errand to run! I'll be going now..." She hurriedly ran off, leaving Yu feeling guilty at having broken a friend's heart for the second time in a whole year.

He quietly went back home, feeling downcast the whole journey there.

* * *

 

The final day of summer came with clear, bright skies.

Yu didn't feel any more cheerful after yesterday, though.

He went downstairs to see Nanako sitting at the sofa, up earlier than him like usual. "Oh, you finally came down." She smiled at him cheerfully. "Um, I got a call from Dad… he said someone gave him a watermelon. It's too big for us to eat, so he said you should call your friends over. Do you think Teddie and your other friends can come?"

"A watermelon?" The silver-haired teenager was surprised his uncle could get one in the first place. Well, he'll probably start off with Yosuke. Taking out his phone, he dialled up his best friend's number and waited for an answer. Soon he heard the click of the call being answered. "Hey Yosuke, it's Yu. Wanna come over for some watermelon? Nanako's asking if you and the others can come too."

_"Watermelon? Whoa, definitely! I haven't had any yet this year. I'm gonna call up the others, so you better not smack it open before we get there!"_

"Of course." Yu chuckled and ended the call there with a goodbye.

Now, it's just the waiting game.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luckily, everyone was able to come over. Nanako might have been a factor in their decision as well… either way, it was kind of hard to cram everyone in the living room, but they managed. Yu noticed that Yukiko was better after what happened yesterday, which he didn't bring up. He wasn't dumb enough to do so.

Nanako was currently explaining why they were called over. "Um, Dad got a watermelon from someone, so he said we should call everyone."

"Man, a watermelon! 'Cause of all the stuff that's gone down this summer, I completely missed out." Kanji was quite excited at the idea of enjoying some watermelon during this hot summer. "So where is it? The fridge?"

His attitude made Rise frown at him. "Gee, Kanji. They invited us over… at least show some manners."

"We gotta smack it open first," Yosuke then said, grinning cheekily. Chie looked at him in shock. "Huh? Are we seriously gonna do that? We can't eat it if it gets all crushed."

Yukiko seemed interested in it though. "But, but, doesn't it sound like fun?"

"I wanna do it too!" Nanako agreed with her, smiling joyfully.

Teddie was determined to do it, saying out one of his weird commercial lines too. "I'll swing at it with everything I've got! The splattering fruit juice! Bursts of joy! One night of love… the bitter sweetness of those days is the essence of youth!"

Yosuke just stared at the bear who is now a light blonde boy with a discerning look. "That makes no sense at all… and dude, will you cut out those commercial lines of yours!?"

Nanako only giggled, repeating Teddie's words. "That's the essence of youth!"

Just then, the sound of the doors sliding open alerted them all to someone arriving at the house. It was Yu's uncle, who sounded quite surprised. "I'm home-- whoa, that's a lot of shoes. How many people are here?"

"Welcome home!" Nanako ran over to her father to greet him. "Um, let's split the watermelon open!"

"Say what!? …Uh, well, you see…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Turns out Dojima had already cut the watermelon so he could share it with the neighbours.

Nanako pouted, a watermelon slice in her hands. At least there was enough for everyone to eat a slice, not that it made her any happier for not being able to split the watermelon open. Dojima tried to cheer her up, but it just wasn't working. "C'mon Nanako, don't pout. Everyone came here to hang out, right?" When he got no response from her, he sighed. "…I'm really sorry. It never occurred to me that you'd want to do that…"

"Hey, Nanako-chan. Let's do it again sometime. Next time, we'll do it right - at the beach!" Chie, who sat next to the little girl, suggested. Rise nodded, agreeing with the idea. She sat next to Yu who sat beside Nanako. "Seconded!"

Yosuke perked up at the mention of a beach. He was eating his watermelon slice inside the house with Yukiko and Teddie at the table in the living room. "Whoa… does that mean we get to see you guys in swimsuits!? Oh… but there probably aren't enough days left. We'll have to do it next year…"

Nanako just seemed to become sadder at that realisation. "Next year…" She looked up at her cousin and Chie, a sadness in her eyes. "Will you play with me next year too?"

Chie was still smiling as she nodded. "Of course we will!"

Kanji and Yukiko added their words to assure Nanako too. "You betcha!"

Dojima smiled at his daughter. "Did you hear that, Nanako?"

Finally, a smile appeared on Nanako's face as well. "Yep! Thank you!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The fun time had passed slowly… eventually, everyone went home. Even Nanako was already asleep in her room by the time it was only her, Yu and Dojima left in the house. The latter two had a moment to talk, the evening sun seeping into the living room as it bathed the place in a gentle, reddish orange glow.

Dojima sat tiredly on the sofa, but he was still smiling as he looked at his nephew. "Thanks for everything today, Yu. It's been a while since I last saw Nanako in high spirits like that."

"It's nothing, uncle." Yu smiled back. If his cousin was happy, then he was happy too.

"The case is finally solved… now for all the—" The detective paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Eh, never mind. Save it for some other time. You know… you really made some great friends."

"I'm aware." The silver-haired boy glanced at the glass sliding doors that led to the backyard. "They're one of the best things to happen in my life."

It's the truth.

One that was bittersweet.

…He'll miss them.


	36. Second Semester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School starts again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I owe everyone who's been reading this story and waiting for an update an apology... because life and interests got in the way of writing! Plus, I got addicted to something else in the meanwhile (JOOOJOOOOOO!) and kinda lost interest in Persona for a while? But I'm not giving up on this story, nah. It's just a matter of setting priorities, haha!
> 
> This chapter's a lot more of social links again, and my writing style might be weird since it's been a while, so please forgive any spelling, grammar, or even style mistakes it may have.

Waking up early for school again was a _damn_ chore.

Somehow, Yu managed to force himself up and get dressed in time to walk to school, almost forgetting his way there given that it's been a whole month since he was last there. Before he got to the school gates, he heard two familiar voices greeting from behind him which made him turn around to see Chie and Yukiko standing there, friendly smiles on their faces. He inwardly grimaced, remembering how he had rejected them… nonetheless, he greeted them back.

Chie then sighed, looking wistful. "Summer vacation's over already."

The silver-haired boy could only chuckle in response until his attention went to another known face, who just happened to be Yosuke. The brunette boy grinned sheepishly when he caught up with the trio. "Yo, guys. I got lost on my way here."

Yukiko had a thought at those words. "The vacation was pretty long."

"Not THAT long. Sheesh…" Chie sighed after commenting on her best friend's opinion.

After that exchange, they started walking towards the gates again to enter the school together, but they halted in their steps at the sight of a blue-haired boy standing there, a sharp gaze in his eyes. He kept a stoic expression as he greeted them. "Good morning."

"Y-You…!? You're that, uh… pint-size detective!" Yosuke's exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.

Said detective glared at the brunet boy. "I beg your pardon!? My name is Naoto. Please, don't give people bizarre nicknames you make up on the spot."

"Um… you know this is a high school, right?" Yukiko asked him, wondering why a detective would be here in the first place. Heck, this boy… Naoto… is dressed fully in the school's summer uniform, now that they noticed.

To the black-haired girl's question, Naoto merely let his gaze fall. "My cooperation with the police has come to an end. However, there are aspects of the case with which I remain unconvinced. There are some family-related issues as well, so I've decided to stay here for the present." He then looked up at the four older teenagers. "From today forth, I'll be a first-year at your high school."

Those words left the group stunned into silence.

A first-year? Of all people to move into this school… this guy just adds the cherry on top.

Naoto turned around to leave, though he did look back at them again after taking a few steps forward with a small smile on his face. "And I felt that I should at least introduce myself to you all. I trust our relations will be cordial, Senpai." He continued on his way after that, leaving Yu and the others still in a stupor. Naoto's an _underclassman_?

"Senpai…?" Chie murmured, her eyes wide with shock. "That detective boy's… our underclassman?"

Took the words right out of their minds.

Still, Naoto's words worried Yu a small bit – is this case really over like they thought it is…?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that afternoon, they met up again in the shoe locker area to talk about a few things when Yukiko suggested they invite Naoto to go with them to Junes, and although Yosuke was hesitant at first, he realised that Naoto was just an ordinary guy now, which makes him a transfer student like him and Yu. Thinking about it, Naoto is kind of a unique guy – not only is he a detective, he's actually a real detective at his age… which is a feat itself. With that in mind, they walked into the hallways – and Rise had joined them while they were talking - to notice said boy currently talking to a pair of first year girls.

It didn't go very well, for the blue-haired boy bluntly said that he wasn't interested in hanging out with them, nor was he interested in them… which only caused the two girls to get furious at him.

So much for first impressions.

Yosuke then went to greet Naoto, stopping the girls from doing anything to the detective… and the pair left in a hurry when Kanji met up with the group. The blonde boy appeared somewhat nervous when his gaze met a certain silver-haired boy's own eyes, but even so, not much words were passed between them as Chie asked Naoto if he would like to join them if he had nothing to do at the moment. However, Naoto had to refuse since he had promised his 'gramps' that he will go straight home today… which is a shame.

Maybe another time, then.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone in the Investigation Team shortly gathered at the food court at Junes to talk about Naoto, though that place wasn't really their 'special headquarters' anymore nor were they the 'Investigation Team' now given that the case was closed...

Chie eventually suggested they talk about something else, so Yosuke brought up the topic of the upcoming class trip which Yukiko said would be at Tatsumi Port Island. Yu recalled hearing about a strange disease outbreak occurring there about two years ago, though he wasn't so sure on the details. He did visit it maybe once or twice on a trip to get data on what clothes and attires people there liked wearing, but due to the outbreak, his trips there stopped entirely.

Though, apparently the trip will be a boring one… all because of King Moron. Way to ruin lives from beyond the grave, huh?

It's still a while away, so maybe he'll do other things in the meantime…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That evening, Yu went to work part-time at the hospital again, having not seen Sayoko since days ago.

What startled him this time was what sounded like a woman yelling coming from somewhere – it was muffled though, so he couldn't tell what were the exact words… he decided to ignore the noise and continue cleaning until a pair of footsteps entered the room. He turned around to see Sayoko with a small frown on her face. Was she in a bad mood?

"Oh... you're here," The nurse said as she noticed Yu there. She then got a few steps closer to the teenager, a question on her mind. "...Did you hear that commotion? That was the first time anyone ever called me a 'slutty bitch' to my face..."

That's no way to call someone, even if she did act a little out of line with him before… either way, the silver-haired teenager only raised an eyebrow in response. Why would someone call her a 'bitch'? Then again, it wasn't his place to ask. "It sounded like a soap opera."

A wry smile came to Sayoko's lips as she lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment. "Seriously. When I laughed at her feeble attempt at an insult, she scratched at me. Who's the bitch now...?" She then lifted her head up to look at Yu. "At the previous hospital I worked at... I had a relationship with one of the doctors. But... he had a wife." At that reveal, she turned her head away from the teenager whose eyes widened in surprise. She had been unknowingly made a mistress by this doctor…?

"She found out, I was forced to quit... then I started working here. Not too long after, it seems he began flirting again, this time with a different nurse at the hospital. I don't know what happened, but I got dragged back into it. His wife came all the way here to bitch at me." Sayoko sighed, a sombre look on her face. "The other nurses were just watching, with these stupid smirks on their faces."

That's just how the world works.

"That can't be helped, I suppose…" Yu commented, having an idea on how the whole experience felt to the nurse. To be shouted and berated at, all while a crowd watched on with amusement seeing as there was possibly _nothing_ else that's interesting in their lives other than watching others suffer.

At his response, Sayoko only smiled wryly again. "Haha... you're right. I'd probably do the same, in their place... strangers are strangers..." However, the look on her face soon fell as she walked towards the windows at the other end of the room, staring out at the starry sky through them. She sighed quietly, the sound breaking the silence in the air. "Everything's just a pain. It wasn't like this at first... when I first thought about becoming a nurse. What am I working for...? What am I living for...?"

…Those thoughts are too familiar.

To begin doubting one's self, wondering if what you're doing is all there is to your life… it has crossed Yu's mind many times before. Still does, when he's left to brood alone in his room. With a fate of becoming his grandfather's successor, it's like there's nothing else for him to do but prepare for the dull life ahead of him. The only thing he wanted during those times was just… comfort. For someone to understand, to know what he's going through. The desire usually disappears when he's reminded of the fact that he can't let anyone know of his deepest secrets.

Nevertheless, Sayoko needed comfort. That much was obvious to him.

"It's alright to feel that way, Miss Sayoko." Yu spoke up, lowering his face mask to expose his mouth so his voice wasn't muffled by it. "Everyone goes through that phase at one point in their lives… mine included. I understand how you feel."

Sayoko didn't say anything for a few seconds, yet when she turned around, a happy smile was on her lips. "Oh... I'm sorry, I was just grumbling to myself… thank you. You're a kind boy."

In a way, Yu felt like he could understand the nurse better now… as a result, the _Devil Social Link_ grew in strength.

"I'd better go. I'm sure that bitch is gone by now. Be careful going home," Sayoko told him before exiting the room in silence, leaving Yu to finish up on his work and return home later.

* * *

 

The second day of school was a rainy day, so Yu decided to call up everyone in the team to go into the TV world – if their past experiences served them right, there should be a strong Shadow in the place where Mitsuo's Shadow was… and as expected, Rise had alerted them that there was one in that place now. Thus, began the trek up the many floors of that dungeon to the top… to reveal that the Shadow looked like one of those giant robots in the cartoons on television.

It's surprisingly fitting, considering that the place was a lot like a game.

The Shadow wasn't too hard to beat, considering that the most dangerous spell it had was a Mudoon, and when it failed, it just resorted to using physical attacks over and over that Yu could've sworn that this was one of the easiest Shadows they've beaten before. After the whole battle was over, he spotted a pile of skeletons nearby and was curious enough to check it out, though nothing really happened when he did… "Hm?" Oh, there's something on the ground.

…A sword of some sort, and it looks quite powerful too.

He'll keep it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Before returning to the real world for the day, Yu decided that he was strong enough – not to mention rich enough, hah - to try summoning Personas in his attempt to fulfil Margaret's request, which he recalled this time was for a Yatsufusa that knew how to cast Mediarama. After summoning the necessary Personas and doing a pentagon fusion, using all five of them, he finally got the required Persona which the Velvet Room attendant noticed with a small smile.

"This Yatsufusa has Mediarama… you have successfully completed the quest." Margaret then paused for a moment. "…I can feel your heart. Words can express nothing. The only way to convey meaning is through the communication between hearts." She stared at the silver-haired boy with a wistful look. "Yui Narukami and Margaret… what do those names have in common…?" Then, she fell silent, still staring at him. "…Oh no, there's nothing in common."

Yu merely raised an eyebrow.

"…I was testing your generosity. Good job… you passed the test." Margaret seemed a little embarrassed as the _Empress Social Link_ became stronger, though she recovered after a few instants as her face became serious once more. "Well then… for my next request… what I'd like is a Ganesha with the Tetrakarn ability. If anyone can do this for me, it's you."

For sure.

Yu only repeated the process of summoning and fusing Personas until he got the one he needed, presenting the results to Margaret with a bit of a cheeky smile on his lips.

Margaret eyed the card with interest, smiling again as she noted that the silver-haired boy completed her request again. "Your Ganesha knows Tetrakarn… you have successfully completed the quest. Hmhm, what a long nose…" She then looked at Yu with a curious glint in her amber yellow eyes. "…By the way, have you heard this song about a long nose? 'What happens in the Velvet Room nobody knows, but the master has a very long nose…'" She sang the tune with a melancholic smile, her eyes lidded. "…Hmhm, how nostalgic. I used to sing this song with my younger sister… how I miss those days…"

…The _Empress Social Link_ grew stronger once more.

As quickly as her smile appeared, the Velvet Room attendant's gaze turned serious yet again. "Well then… for my next request… bring me a Trumpeter with the Mind Charge skill… if anyone can do this for me, it's you. I eagerly await your return."

This time, Yu wasn't capable enough to summon a Persona that strong… so he excused himself and left the Velvet Room.

He'll just have to train with the others in the TV world another time.

* * *

 

Saturday was a clear day, and it was expected to stay that way for the next few days according to the weather report.

"Wonder if I can find the guy who wrote the ema request now…?" Yu murmured to himself, going up the stairs to the school's roof – he put the task off for a while after it became obvious to him that the person who made the request wasn't in town wherever he searched, so he deduced that it was probably a student. Since it was finally the start of the second school semester, and it was a clear day, he might find out who the writer is. True to his ideas, there was a girl who wasn't usually there before, including before the summer break.

He then approached her, lifting a hand to tap her shoulder. "Excuse me…"

"Gyaa! Wh-What, don't just walk up to me and talk to me all of a sudden! Don't you know that's rude!?" The girl suddenly yelled at him, her eyes wide with shock as she looked in his direction. The silver-haired boy flinched at her reaction, having not expected to be shouted at all of a sudden.

After a moment of silence, the expression on the girl's face softened. "Oh… umm… s-sorry for blowing up like that. It's fine. I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere or anything. So…" She was mumbling and obviously flustered… perhaps she's the mystery writer of the ema request. If memory served Yu right, she wanted to improve her conversational abilities…

"What do you want? S-Stop staring at my face!" The awkward girl yelled at him again, her words bearing a sting to them. However, Yu just kept a cool demeanour despite the cold response, knowing that she's just someone who has trouble talking with others. This resulted in a surprised look appearing on the girl's face. "Wh-What…? Normal people would have left by now, yelling something at me." She narrowed her eyes at him. "…You're weird."

Harr harr. Isn't that the truth?

"…Wh-What are you standing there for? Say something to me, you got that!?"

…The awkward girl then ran away.

If she's going to keep running off like that, how is the whole 'helping' thing going to work…? Hopefully she'll be here again next Monday...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that afternoon, Yu hung out with Rise who had invited him to go shopping with her in Okina City.

"Today, we're buying for you! I'll put together the best outfit for you, so be prepared," Rise told him with a small smile. "I've already checked out most of the stores. First is... over there..." She trailed off as she noticed something in the distance, her smile falling. "That ad... I see... so Kanami is the new poster girl..."

When she fell silent, Yu looked in the direction she was staring at, noticing a girl on a store's sign. Raising an eyebrow, he gave Rise a confused look.

"Oh, uhh… that store's sign has a girl who was at the agency with me. Kanami Mashita… she was my junior…" The dark brunette girl explained to him. "…She was cute, so I figured she would sell."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"...Huh? Oh, yeah. If some other girl takes off, I'm sure the agency will leave me alone." Rise smiled to herself, just as a pair of teenage boys walked by – they were talking loudly enough for both Yu and Rise to hear. One of them talked about how cute 'Kanamin' was, liking the fact that she's not so fake, like Risette. Rise glanced at the two, hearing the rest of the conversation as the other teenager commented that Kanamin was plain and honest before they were too far for her and Yu to hear their voices.

The dark brunette girl was quiet for a few moments, her face showing irritation as she kept her head down. "…Yeah, yeah, I'm 'fake'. That's the role I played... it was all an act... everything..." She then abruptly lifted her head and glared at the backs of the two teenagers, yelling angrily at them… to no avail, as they didn't hear her. "...Hey! All that stuff about Kanami is an act, too!" After that outburst, she stared at her feet with a crestfallen look in silence.

Yu wasn't sure of what to say.

"…Let's go home, Senpai."

Worry was in his silver-grey eyes.

"I don't want to be here."

~*~*~*~*~*~

They went back to Inaba, the bus dropping them off near the flood plains… yet Rise dragged Yu there, troubled by something.

Rise turned around to face him, a distraught look on her face now. "…Senpai, are you... happy right now? Do you like being with me... like this, the way we are now? You like having such a cute underclassman, right? I'm an ex-idol, after all…" she then asked him in a quiet voice, her eyes glistening in the evening glow of the sun.

Yu stared at her for a moment before his eyebrows furrowed. Why would she be asking him that? "That part doesn't matter."

"Y-Yeah, of course not... what am I saying?" The dark brunette girl lowered her head, gazing at the road beneath her shoes. "You see me as Rise, huh...? The real me..." She seemed anxious for some reason, one that Yu couldn't figure out what. She eventually looked up at the silver-haired boy, an apologetic look in her eyes. "...I'm sorry. I was just irritated... I dragged you all the way to Okina, then just came back without doing anything... I'm really sorry..."

Before Yu could say something, a familiar voice called out from ahead of them.

"Oh, big bro and Rise-chan!"

It was Nanako who ran up to them, Rise turning back around to face the little girl this time. "Oh, Nanako-chan... y-you going home?"

"Yep!" Nanako nodded with a bright smile on her face. Rise then thought of something, deciding to ask the little girl about it. "Oh, I know... h-hey, Nanako-chan, umm... well... do you know who Kanami Mashita is...?"

"Ummm... Kanami... Mashita..." A confused look appeared on Nanako's small face. Soon she realised who the idol meant. "…Oh, you mean Kanamin? Yeah, I know her. Some of my friends like her." She smiled again as she said, "I tell them, 'Rise-chan's way better!'"

This flustered Rise, who stuttered as she spoke. "Y-You do, huh? Hahaha, thanks... b-but I'm totally different from how I am on TV... you must be disappointed..."

"Nope." Nanako shook her head, smiling again. "I like you."

At those words, Rise's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? Oh... thanks. But that means... you like the 'me' over here, huh..."

"The... 'me'...? Aren't you just Rise-chan? I like you, that's all."

"Oh, er... ummmm..." The idol looked down at her feet, taking a moment of silence to let Nanako's words sink in. Eventually, she lifted her head up and smiled at the little girl. "...Thanks, Nanako-chan. I like you too."

"Yay!" Nanako giggled happily with a rosy hue on her cheeks. She then noticed how late it was getting, her expression turning into one of shock. "Oh, the show's about to start! I'm going home now! Bye!" She ran off in a hurry, leaving her cousin and Rise standing there as the latter watched her leave with a small smile.

"'You're just Rise-chan,' huh...?" Rise murmured to herself, glancing at Yu. Her smile slowly fell. "Wh-What was I thinking, asking all that to Nanako-chan...?" She sighed deeply and looked away from the silver-haired boy. "Risette... I quit so I wouldn't have to think about stuff like this…" Then, she looked at Yu with a determined face. "...I have no regrets about showbiz. I wouldn't want to go back. Why would I sacrifice my real self!? I just want to become a Rise who's needed by the ones who see the real me. Like you, Senpai. That's the 'me' I want to be. It's the truth."

Rise's passionate will could be felt in waves… this whole experience made Yu feel like he could understand her even more now.

With that knowledge, the _Lovers Social Link_ grew stronger.

"I... got a little upset today when I heard those kids talk about Kanami," Rise admitted, looking down in embarrassment. She seemed helpless. "...I'm sure I'll forget it by tomorrow."

Yu just smiled at her and laughed a little, wondering why an 'ex-idol' like Rise Kujikawa would get upset about some other idol. Sure, what those two teenagers said was uncalled for, but compared to what has happened to her before, this is merely simple envy. "This is nothing, Rise. Why are you so agitated about it?"

"H-Hey! That's mean! I'm serious here. You're making me look stupid." Rise pouted at her senior's laugh, but after giving herself a moment to think, she soon started to smile, giggling in the end. "I see... maybe I am kind of stupid. Thank you, Senpai... I feel a little better." Now she appeared relieved. "I'm sorry for being so selfish today."

"It's alright… considering what you've gone through before, you needed it."

The dark brunette girl was quiet after that, averting her gaze from the boy that stood in front of her. She then spoke up in a quiet voice. "…When I was working, I met lots of people, but at the cost of free time to meet people outside of work. I had no free time at all... so when I was alone, I was truly alone. Whatever I was thinking about... I had to keep it to myself. So..." She looked up at Yu with a pensive gaze. "Right now... I don't want to be alone..." She got closer to the silver-haired boy, smiling softly at him as her cheeks flushed a rosy red. "Stay with me... just a little longer..."

"…Of course."

Yu now questioned whether it was a good idea to get so close to the girls he knew… because he could see Rise making the same mistake Chie and Yukiko did.

He can't handle a _third_ confession at this rate.

* * *

 

Sunday was a free day like usual, though Yu hadn't expected to receive a phone call early in the morning… from _Yukiko_ , nonetheless.

_"Hello? This is Yukiko. U-Umm, can I meet you today if you have some free time? H-how's that sound?"_

The silver-haired boy hesitated for a moment, remembering exactly how he had rejected her at the shrine, even if he didn't say it outright… but then again, he's forced to go with the tides of fate and spend time with those he had a Social Link with until those links have reached their strongest. Mentally sighing, he decided to agree to her request. "Sure… I don't mind, Yukiko."

_"Okay. I'll see you in a bit."_

He hoped that she wasn't too upset.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They met up at the flood plains, sitting at the resting hut together… and Yu found himself with another lunch box on his lap, the food inside looking delicious. But if his past experiences have taught him, it's that appearances can be deceiving.

"Don't worry, it's good!" Yukiko told him, urging him to try it with a small smile.

Nervously smiling back, the silver-haired boy decided to take his chances and shut his eyes before shoving a spoonful of the lunch into his mouth, bracing himself for _something_ that shouldn't be there… and yet, what shocked him was the fact that it was _delicious_ this time! He opened his eyes and stared at the boxed lunch in genuine surprise before looking at Yukiko who sat to his right. "…It's quite delicious," he told her truthfully. While he did feel proud that Yukiko improved her cooking, he couldn't help but feel like that there's something he's not knowing…

"Really? Thank goodness… er, well of course it is…"

"…Is there something wrong?"

Yukiko looked down at her hands for a moment, then she smiled sheepishly at the silver-haired boy beside her. "Half the cooking was done by the head chef… he took over again. But he told me it's gotten a lot better!"

There it is.

"Oh. Well, at least you did improve." Yu set the boxed lunch aside so he could talk comfortably with her.

"I'm also thinking of continuing my studies for a job license. I don't plan to leave anymore, but I thought I might as well. I'm glad I realized sooner… if I'd struck out on my own, I know I would have regretted it. I wanted to become completely self-sufficient. But I think I was being presumptuous." Yukiko seemed to have realised what she would be leaving behind if she moved away. "I have the inn, I have my family, I have the waitresses and chefs… I am who I am now because I was raised by such a kind group…"

She then looked ahead of her, at the sight of the sparkling river that flowed by the riverbed a little further downhill. "When I think of it that way, my problems aren't just my own. That's why… I'm going to say here. By my own will."

"…That's good." Yu gave her an encouraging smile. At last, she's found her place.

Yukiko managed to smile back at him when she abruptly felt something change within her - her strong will that allowed her to accept and overcome her weakness has awakened her heart's true power... her Persona _Konohana Sakuya_ has been reborn, transfiguring into a Persona that bore a figure of white, its body adorned in a cape made of feather-like blades - _Amaterasu_. She was left staring into the distance for a moment, stunned at what just happened. "This is... my new power...? The power you've shown to me..." She slowly began to smile. "...Power I will treasure."

The two of them then got up from where they sat, now facing each other.

"I want you to have this. It's a charm from that shrine... to protect you." Yukiko then gave Yu a shrine charm, the silver-haired boy observing the charm with intrigue.

He looked up at her with a grateful smile. "Thank you. Relying on the gods now, are we…?"

"It's the thought that counts!" Yukiko told him with a gentle smile, chuckling lightly. "I think of you as an irreplaceable friend. No matter how far apart we are, even if we never meet again, that feeling will never change. You're dear to me." Her pure, simple emotion could be clearly felt by the silver-haired boy… alongside it, the _Priestess Social Link_ reached its fullest potential, causing whispers in his head to speak about the formation of a genuine bond, just like the last few times this happened.

…He could now fuse a whole new Persona – _Scathach_ , of the _Priestess Arcana_.

Yukiko then laughed, smiling brightly at Yu. "I've never known any boys who I could call close friends. I'm very happy… let's talk, shall we?"

"Of course."

So, they spent a long while talking with each other as Yu ate the boxed lunch Yukiko somewhat made…

* * *

 

Come next day, Yu went to look for the awkward girl who wrote the ema request on the roof again after school ended, finding her standing by the wire fence. He tried to be a little softer in his greeting, and this time, he didn't get yelled at.

"…Oh, you. I was wai—I mean, what are you doing here again? No one asked you to come." She crossed her arms at him, waiting for a response. "W-well? I'm busy, so wh-what's on your mind!?"

The silver-haired boy decided to just be blunt. "Do you need help speaking?"

"Wha…! Wh-Where'd you hear that!?" The awkward girl then paused for a moment. The way she's speaking was already proving his point. "…Oh. I-It's not like I'm worried about it! L-Leave me alone!" And yet, she's evidently quite worried about her speech and defensive about it, as well… disregarding her words, Yu then offered to teach her – give her conversation lessons, in a sense.

"C-Conversation lessons!? I-I don't need them! Leave me alone!" The girl pouted and turned her head away from him… however, she glanced at him when he still stood there. "…But if you really want to teach someone, then maybe I'll listen to you for a while, just to be nice."

"Alright then." Yu inwardly smiled to himself – _finally_ , he can start helping her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They spent a few minutes talking, Yu giving her some tips on how to converse with other people.

The awkward girl was starting to get the hang of it, though she'll need some time to get used to speaking like how he showed her. "Y-You should've told me this earlier! Oh… um… that's not right. 'It would have been most desirable if you would have imparted this wisdom at a much earlier occasion.'" The girl paused for a moment, seeing the smile on Yu's face as he nodded in approval. "…Like that? Um… th-thank you." She was quiet again, nervously shifting her feet. "I hope… you can teach me again sometime. B-Bye!"

Then she ran away.

Hopefully she'll be here again tomorrow so they could continue the lessons… wait, wasn't it raining tomorrow?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Soon after leaving the roof, Yu went to band practice with Ayane – he still hasn't forgotten how to play the trumpet thankfully, and Ayane has improved tremendously in playing the trombone. After practice ended, Ayane brought him to the riverbank at the flood plains…

"Wow, the rain has almost let up!" Ayane commented, looking up at the sky with a smile. She then turned around so she could call Yu over to where she was standing. "Senpai, over here!"

Once the silver-haired boy was next to her, she gave him a bright smile as she giggled. "This is where I usually practice. There's never anyone around, so I can relax while I play." Her smile then fell as she looked apologetically at Yu. "Sorry for dragging you out here on such short notice. But I thought it would be easier for me to tell you something here..." She bit her lip nervously, but spoke out what was on her mind eventually. "…I think I need to start being more selfish."

"Hm?" Yu raised an eyebrow, a little surprised at her words. A little more selfish…?

Ayane then lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers. "For as long as I can remember, I've never expressed my opinions. I've let them just build up inside me." She shook her head slowly, still averting her gaze from the older boy in front of her. "I was trying to protect myself from conflicts by just avoiding them. But sometimes arguing about something and talking through it is what makes a relationship stronger, I think. I'm finally starting to see that." She then became quiet for a moment.

"…Well, no, that's not true. I've known that all along. But I was too scared to admit it... I was afraid of speaking my mind and getting shot down. I didn't want anyone to hate me. That's why I thought I could avoid getting hurt by just going with the flow... it was the easiest way out." Ayane sadly looked up at Yu. "But... then you came along... and made me realize I was just pretending not to see what I was doing. I've been keeping a lot of... unpleasant emotions buried inside. In fact, the real me can be pretty selfish. I want people to notice me, but I never make the first move. Selfish, right?"

She placed a hand on her chest. "...That's me."

"Ayane…" In a way, Yu could understand how she felt. It was a common feeling, to want to speak up, yet not wanting to get hurt in the aftermath.

Wasn't that like himself?

With his lies, the facades he's built up with the people he called friends… he did feel like revealing it all, to get rid of the burden on his shoulders… but he can't predict how they'll react and expect to not get hurt somehow. So he bottled it up, kept them away under lock and key, to never be found out. He's lived as Yu Narukami for years, and Yui Narukami since never. It'll probably stay that way as he's powerless to go against his grandfather's word… he is that man's puppet, after all.

Not that he's happy about it, but what could _he_ do?

"That's why when I think about the other day, and how I threw away everything you did for me, I feel guilty…" Ayane then admitted, staring down at her shoes in shame. However, after a few seconds of silence, she lifted her head up with a cheerful smile, red tinting her cheeks. "...But you helped me do a lot of things I couldn't have done on my own. I pushed myself past my limits, and on top of that, I got to hang out with someone I really care about. But most importantly, you made me look myself in the eye. I never could have done that alone. You helped me hear my own voice."

Ah, there's the Ayane he'll grow to be proud of.

The small girl nodded to herself, a determined look on her face now. "So, from now on, I'm not gonna pretend that I don't care what happens anymore! I'll express my opinion, say what I think, and if that gets me on someone's bad side, then that's that. If I wanna get what I want in life, I've gotta speak my mind!" She stopped after that, her cheeks flushing again as she smiled optimistically once more at Yu. "I owe it all to you, Yu-senpai... thank you!"

…Seems like he was able to help guide her through her problems.

The _Sun Social Link_ became stronger.

Then, Ayane's smile fell as she timidly looked down at her feet yet again. "Um... that being said, um... there's something... else." She fell silent as she blushed shyly. "Um... Senpai, I-I..." From the way she was acting, it seemed like she was about to confess…

…Fuck.

That's the _third_ time he's gotten a girl to fall for him! And Rise's already showing signs of doing that too! He's practically leaving a trail of heartbroken teenage girls at this point… and he himself is no better with his own feelings. Ugh. It was time to man up and steel his nerves – Yu didn't want to do this, but it's for their own good… thus, with a forced smile on his lips, he changed the subject to relieve the tension in the air. "Hey, Ayane… it's starting to get late. We should go back."

He hoped his voice wasn't revealing his own anxiousness.

"…Oh, uhhh... n-never mind." Ayane stuttered as she spoke, her face breaking into a friendly smile. "...W-Well, I-I better get home! S-So, g-goodbye!"

They parted ways right there, leaving the two teenagers with heavy hearts.

* * *

 

Wednesday was a rainy day, but Yu didn't go to band practice this time because he felt bad about Ayane, and since the awkward girl who made the ema request wouldn't be up on the roof, he spent the afternoon catching up on his studies and the night folding paper cranes, which he was getting the hang of now. Luckily, the following day was clear with bright sunny skies overhead… and while on the way to school, Kanji and Yosuke caught up with him, the former which he smiled happily at.

He'll accept the fact that he's in love… he just can't admit it to the recipient of those feelings.

Kanji was notably surprised to receive such a warm smile from the silver-haired boy, though he quickly looked away to hide the red on his face that rose up without warning. Knowing that he bore feelings for his senior of the same gender only made things worse – he can't ruin Yu's reputation… despite those thoughts, he tried to greet him in a casual manner. "M-Mornin', Senpai."

Yosuke seemed to have not noticed the blonde boy's stutter, greeting Yu in a similar manner as well. "Yo. So are you ready for the trip yet? This guy won't shut up about it," he then asked his best friend, only to be cut off by Kanji.

The blonde boy retorted, "Yosuke-senpai hasn't even started packing. He's all like, 'Was that tomorrow?'. 'Sup with that?"

"You are way too excited about this. I mean, you're even worried about how many boxes of animal crackers to bring. We're only gonna be there for two nights, dude! Besides, I'm pretty sure they have convenience stores on Port Island."

This shocked Kanji. "For serious!? I've never really left this place, so…" The shock soon left his system, though. "Huh… I wonder if the murders here got as much play over there, too." Upon getting confused looks from his seniors, he explained further. "Like that Mitsuo Kubo dude. They're still showing him on TV here. Every time I switch on the tube, the news is showing like, what he wrote in his yearbook. Pisses me off, man. The frickin' media's slapping together anything they can find to make the dude look like a born criminal. People think they can say anythin' they want about a guy who's been branded a criminal… 's just not right."

Yu sighed, though admittedly, it has been getting out of hand. "I agree…"

"I mean, I still hate the guy's guts. But… I dunno, after getting involved with all this, I started to realize how off-base most rumours are… it's so messed up…"

Yosuke could only shrug, crossing his arms as he did. "Well, I gotta admit, the news can be pretty out there." The sound of footsteps approaching them then got his attention, making him turn around to see who it was. "Hey, it's Naoto." He smiled casually at the blue-haired boy who got closer to the group. "Yo, how's it going?"

"Good morning." Naoto addressed Yosuke with a formal tone.

After an exchange of words, they all started walking to school together.

Kanji discreetly took a glance at Naoto, wondering where things had changed – when he first saw him, he had felt… _something_ … for this detective. Then, when the whole TV world thing happened, Yu Narukami and the Investigation Team entered his life, saved him in the process and became his friends too, albeit now he wasn't as close to the others as he was with the silver-haired boy. The more they spent time together, the more he felt his feelings change… and on the night of the summer festival, he realised…

…He had completely fallen for his Senpai. Hopelessly and fully in love with him, the leader of the Investigation Team.

A wry smile came to his lips.

Man, he's _screwed_.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yu went up to talk to the awkward girl to give her more lessons on conversing, but when he got closer, he could see a worried look on her face... she's teary-eyed.

"Did something happen?" he asked her, concerned at the show of tears.

"Oh… your lesson didn't work! I just tried starting up a cheerful conversation with a girl in my class… b-but I got nervous all of a sudden… I said something I wasn't even thinking! 'Move aside, ugly; I'm comin' through!'. Wh-what should I do? She just started crying…" The awkward girl told him, now agonising over what she has done. The thing is… did she have to ask?

The answer was quite obvious: "Apologise to her, then."

Yu even gave her a speech about the social importance of have the courage to apologize for one's mistakes, and he wouldn’t let her dismiss the idea until she finally agreed to it.

"Y-you're right… I'll apologise to her. Hurting others without apologising is selfish and cowardly… I'll go apologise. Maybe after I do, I can try and have a real conversation with her. I can't keep using my bad conversation skills as an excuse… I'll do my best." The awkward girl appeared to have broken through the fear that was stunting her social growth… "U-um… thank you."

"You're welcome."

He has accomplished the request.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Recalling that Ai had asked if he could spend some time with her during lunchtime, Yu decided to take up on her request and accepted, now currently at the rooftop, at the base of the water tower. Well, actually, he had followed her here. This place just ended up becoming the place for their talk today.

The blonde girl was currently leaning against the ladder attached to the water tower when she looked at Yu with an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep making you hang out with me…"

"I don't mind." Yu smiled reassuringly at her, standing nearby.

Ai then broke her stare at the silver-haired boy, looking down at her hands with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Yu… you really are a nice guy." It soon fell, turning into a serious expression. "…After I calmed down, I gave my life some serious thought. Why do I go on such crazy shopping sprees? Why do I feel the need to be so well dressed all the time? What makes me want to ditch class? Do I want to stand out so that I'll catch people's eyes?" She paused for a moment. "…And… why do I always find myself wanting to talk to you?"

She bit her lip, fiddling her thumbs as she continued to talk. "I always thought that if I couldn't be pretty, I'd be better off dead… nobody likes people who aren't pretty. They hate you. What's the point of life if everyone hates you…?" She then looked up at the auburn sky, a wistful gaze in her light brown eyes. "But lately I've been thinking, maybe I'm wrong… there's still a lot I don't know… I guess I shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions." Again, she looked down at her feet. "And before I realised it, I was crying. I've always made sure not to cry, too, because it makes my eyes swell… I pulled back my curtains, and the sun was just coming up… the stars were shining so dimly…"

Those words… what are they supposed to mean?

"And for some reason, it made me think of you… I wonder why…" Ai murmured, now staring at Yu with those same melancholic eyes. The silver-haired boy guessed that it could be because of a simple reason… he spoke up, answering her question. "…Because we're friends."

A happy smile graced Ai's lips upon hearing his response. "I have a lot of male acquaintances… but you're probably the first one I can call a real friend." Though after a few moments, she then looked at Yu strangely. "…You're a weird guy, Yu."

That's not… nice.

"I'm glad we met."

Ah.

Now that he looked past the words, Yu could feel genuine trust coming from the blonde girl… their relationship deepened as the _Moon Social Link_ grew stronger.

They stood there, staring at each other for a moment before Ai got off from the ladder, still smiling at Yu. "Let's go home, huh? If they catch you with me, you'll probably get all the extra lectures too…"

"That wouldn't be nice." The silver-haired boy chuckled, though he did mentally grimace at the thought. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to hear hours and hours of advice and babbling from _any_ sort of counsellor, not even the darn school counsellor. Hence, they parted ways for the day and returned to their own homes…

~*~*~*~*~*~

That night, Yu finished up on packing for his school trip tomorrow, now setting his bag downstairs so he didn't end up forgetting it the next morning. Nanako wasn't as distraught this time like when he first left the house on a trip since he had told her a few nights earlier that he'll be gone for about three days. Still, it was nice to see that bright smile on her face every time he returned home… he'll miss it dearly when he's at that island. He wondered if things would remain this calm for the rest of the year he's living in Inaba.

Hopefully so – he wanted to make good memories with everyone… though the heartbreak he's caused is a little bit of a stain on that.

Well, he can't do much about that.

Yeesh.


	37. In Port Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school trip begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to type. Trying to find that drive to do fanfiction is getting pretty tough, especially when I feel guilty enough leaving this story with no updates for nearly a month... I'm trying. But either way, it was a little fun seeing the King's Game scene ingame, but writing it here felt tedious. I didn't want to just skip most of the dialogue because I felt like it'll feel... like I tried to summarise it. Still, here it is.
> 
> Sorry for any grammar mistakes and style weirdness. Been a while, y'know?

The trip to Tatsumi Port Island would last three days and two nights, involving both first years and second years. It at least guaranteed that Yu would still be with his friends in the Investigation Team, though he'll probably be put with the boys when it came down to sleeping arrangements, which… wasn't a pleasant thought. After the whole camping incident a few months back, the last thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened the day after the campout…

Either way, on the first day, they went to the school on the island - Gekkoukan High School. One thing for certain, it was much bigger than the school back in Inaba… though it was smaller than the city schools Yu had been in before.

"Whoa, what's up with this place…? This school's way too big! Wait… If we can't beat 'em on size, we're totally sunk…" Yosuke commented with wide eyes, looking up at the school while the principal of said school was currently giving a speech about it. The principal was a pudgy man with greying hair who also wore round glasses, which could make one wonder how old he was at this point. He continued with his speech after he finished talking about something… "Well, uh, next I will explain about our fine educational institution and the reasons for its establishment! Uh, I'd like to start with a proverb… 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well'."

How boring.

Chie yawned quietly, feeling bored already. "Is this principal in love with his own voice or what…?"

"Chie! He'll hear you!" Yukiko chided her best friend, not wanting the brunette girl to get called out because of what she said.

At least the principal hadn't heard Chie's comment, still busy giving a speech. "Ah-hem… our school is closed today, but, ahh, because of this rare opportunity for cultural exchange… some of our students will walk you through these halls. First, though, a student body representative will say a few words…"

Then, the sharp-looking student that stood next to him spoke up with a smile. "Thank you, Principal." She walked forward a few steps so she was now directly in front of the group of students from Yasogami High School. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. My name is Chihiro Fushimi. I'm a third-year student, and the Student Council President here at Gekkoukan. It's an honour to meet you all today."

Yosuke couldn't help but smile as his eyes widened at the sight of Chihiro… mostly because she looked pretty. "Holy crap, that girl's unbelievable!"

Kanji took a look at the long-haired brunette girl, and while he will admit that she does look cute, he's already fallen for the boy who stood silently at Yosuke's left side. "Eh, I guess she is cute…"

"What do you mean 'you guess'…?" Yosuke gave the blond boy a confused look before looking back at Chihiro, his cheeks turning pink the longer he looked at her. "I gotta say… she's the most bewitching bespectacled beauty I've ever beheld…"

Chie glared at the two boys from behind them. "You guys… stop overreacting!"

Chihiro continue to speak in the meanwhile. "This is the first time our school has invited another student body for a true cultural exchange. To learn about others is to learn about oneself, and is the first step on the road to self-betterment… this I believe. To ensure a worthwhile experience for each and every one of you, we will do our best to help you accomplish that. So, let us enjoy our time together! Thank you very much." With her speech finished, everyone clapped in applause.

"…She beat me in every category…" Chie murmured, her head lowered just as Ms. Kashiwagi then told everyone to get into groups.

As students ran off to group up with their friends, though Yu stayed where he stood with Yosuke, Chie, Kanji and Yukiko since they were already a group of their own, Chihiro seemed troubled at the situation. "Oh no…!" She looked around in a small panic before walking towards the silver-haired boy, calling for his attention. "Excuse me, could I bother you for a moment?"

"Hm?" Yu then looked at her while the others surrounded him so they could face Chihiro. "Is there something?"

"This is today's schedule for everyone. Could you hand it out later, please? I forgot to do it myself…" Chihiro asked, holding out a printed paper towards Yu. She looked apologetically at him. "Sorry to be so disorganized. And you all came so far…"

Yu just smiled at her and took the schedule. "Don't worry, you're doing a great job so far."

Chihiro shook her head at his compliment. "No… I'm still struggling. Even with everyone's support, I'm barely pulling through. I used to get nervous very easily… and I once had a phobia of men, too." She then sheepishly smiled back at him. "In fact, I didn't write the speech on my own. One of the former Student Council Presidents helped me. She was the president, my first year here, and she was amazing… I always looked up to her. I should call her later and tell her the speech was a success!"

This former Student Council President must've been a really great girl then if someone like Chihiro looked up to her.

It soon dawned on her that she was rambling however, her eyes widening in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry! Listen to me, going on and on about myself… I have to stop babbling when I got nervous. Um, your group is scheduled for a special lecture soon. The classroom is on the second floor. I have some arrangements to make with your student council, so please excuse me." She nodded at them and left, leaving Yu with the others alone again.

…And another moment later, Yosuke realised something. "Did I just hear her say 'special lecture'?" He grimaced, gritting his teeth. "We came all this way to be lectured!?"

No shit. Chie did say this trip was going to be on the boring side of things…

Yu rolled his eyes before chuckling, noticing Yukiko who got closer to him to see the schedule he still held. The black-haired girl stared at the sheet of paper for a few seconds. "Let's see, our class is… it's being taught by someone named Mr. Edogawa. The lecture's about… Qabbalah…"

"Kabawhat?" Chie gawked at her best friend in confusion.

Kanji gave the brunette girl a small smile. "You don't know? It's a casino."

Now everyone except him gave him a puzzled look. He shrugged it off, looking away with a slightly red face. He was probably wrong…

Yosuke merely shook his head, looking back at Yu to ask about the schedule. "So… when's our free period?"

To answer his question, Chie got closer to the silver-haired boy and checked the schedule over Yu's shoulder. "Uhh… we don't get one." Her response elicited shocked stares from Yosuke and Kanji, which turned devastated the more she explained. "We have classes all through today. Tonight and tomorrow, we'll be staying at a hotel… we'll have free time tomorrow and the day after, until we leave at noon."

The brunet boy groaned heavily. "You gotta be kidding me…"

"Come on, guys! Let's focus on our studies for now, so we can enjoy our free time later!" Yukiko said, trying to cheer everyone up. She only got another groan from Yosuke, whose posture had turned hunched from the thought of going through lectures all day long.

Well, hopefully they wouldn't be as boring as the ones at school…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The teacher who did the 'special lecture' was a man named Mr. Edogawa… and instead of giving some lecture about the so-called 'Qabbalah philosophy', he told the story about Japan's oldest tale of curses – the story of Izanagi and Izanami, and how the country came to be. It was strange, seeing that the former was the name of Yu's very first Persona… one that has now been fused with other Personas to become a new and stronger one. What an odd coincidence that this man will tell this story of all things.

At least this weird man was not teaching at his school. That was a thought not worth lingering on… though, after arriving at the hotel Ms. Kashiwagi had booked, maybe it was better imagining that scenario. Of all things… an ominous hotel like _this_ is what she picked? It was to be expected from her sultry attitude, but… this is ridiculous.

"Isn't there something funny about this place…?" Yosuke asked, staring at the hotel sign suspiciously. Chie just looked uncertainly at it. "Is there? We don't have these modern hotels in Inaba, so I can't tell."

Rise's cheeks were of a rosy hue as she smiled, recognising the place. "Um… this area is called 'Shirakawa Boulevard', and it's—" She got cut off by Yosuke who shook his head.

"Th-That's all right, Rise. I don't think I wanna know…"

…In the silence the quickly followed, a mysterious voice spoke from the shadows. " _Hmhmhm… faster than I expected… this is quite the hotel. If they were to meet me… I wonder, what would the look on Yosuke's face be…?_ "

"Whuh… who's that!?" The brunet boy looked around to find the source of the voice, eyes wide in the heavy tenseness that grew in the air. Eventually, he spotted something above him and pointed at the balcony above them. "Look! Up there!"

Everyone else followed his gaze, only to see a familiar form bearing the colours red, blue and yellow…

Yukiko gasped in shock. "It can't be…!"

" _Haaa!_ " The figure jumped off the balcony, but landed somewhere off to the side where the trash cans and a cat was, because a sudden cat screech echoed through the road. It was none other than Teddie in his bear form who had somehow followed them all the way here, approaching them with a bright smile on his face. It's like the fall onto trash cans hadn't bothered him at all… or is he just trying to hide the shame of ending up like that? "Hmhmhm… shoo bee doo bee…"

"Teddie!? What're you doing here!?" Kanji questioned him, eyes wide with surprise.

"The lonely bear inside of me went stir crazy!"

The bear's answer only infuriated Rise who growled. "Grrr… if only I could detect people in the real world…" The sight of her angry like this worried Yukiko and Yu who glanced at her every now and then. She could be scary when she's really angry…

"How did you come here!? Do you have some special ability!?" Chie then continued the questioning, looking quite startled herself. Teddie gave her a casual smile as he answered, "No, I took the train. I swore off Topsicles and saved up the money I got working at Junes. I knew where you were going, thanks to Yosuke's 'Trip Guide'. You guys have free time tomorrow, right? No use hiding it! I already know!"

Oh, so he took the train.

How?

"How in the world did you make it here looking like that…? I mean, why wear the bear suit here!?" Yosuke voiced that query out loud, staring at Teddie in utter shock. If the bear were in his human form, such a way to getting here wouldn't sound too farfetched… yet here he was, fully dressed in the darn suit.

"I almost got thrown in the trash a couple times…" Teddie admitted with a sad shake of his head, but he cheered up an instant later. "But I kept hanging onto the promise Chie-chan made to go on a date with me! That's what gave me strength to carry on!"

…So, this is Chie's fault?

Chie laughed nervously. "Uh, g-good job, Teddie… ddDid I promise that…? Oh yeah… I do remember saying that I'd go out with you someday…"

How the hell did the bear remember something like _this_?

"Wheeeee!" Teddie smiled cheerfully at the brunette girl. "You remembered, Chie-chan! Is it okay with Yuki-chan and Rise-chan too!?"

"Let's all go together, then. Is that all right with you?" Yukiko suggested, much to the bear's surprise and happiness.

"Mmm… it's a deal!"

Yosuke and Kanji shared a glance of doubt at each other. One way or another, this bear always managed to get into things with the girls of the group…

"I've been here before, so I'll show you around tomorrow. I guess we can go shopping first. And I know a great place we can hit later on," Rise said, smiling as well. Her irritation from a while ago had faded away like steam, leaving behind a friendly Rise in its wake. Teddie chuckled, now sounding excited at the idea. "Ooh, shopping. That sounds great!"

Chie now knew how great it was to have someone who could show them around the place. "The other students don't know Port Island that well, so they're just gonna go wherever the school recommends." Which meant going to boring places… like that factory. Yosuke shrugged, crossing his arms. "Well, I guess a shopping spree beats a factory tour. Alright, we're in too."

The dark brunette idol giggled. "Leave it to me."

Having finished their plans for tomorrow, now there's another problem… "Now… before the fun starts…" Yosuke sighed, staring directly at Teddie as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "We gotta deal with this guy."

"Can't you sleep outside for the night? That suit should keep ya nice and cosy," Kanji asked Teddie, shocking said bear. Teddie gave them all a saddened gaze. "Cruelty to animals! You don't know how much trouble I went through to get here! I took the slow train all this way! Do you hear!? The _slow_ train!"

Before anyone could respond to that, a deep female voice spoke at the entrance of the hotel, one that belonged to Ms. Kashiwagi who had realised none of them were inside the hotel and had come outside to find them. "Now, now, you kids aren't bickering about your room allocations, are you?"

Crap.

"What's the matter?" Ms. Kashiwagi noticed the panicked look on the teenagers' faces, but her attention was then taken by Teddie who stood frozen nearby. She smiled sweetly in delight, asking about him in a 'cutesy' voice. "…Oh? What's this giant teddy bear?"

"A _souvenir_ , Ms. Kashiwagi. It's a souvenir," Yu told her with a poker face, trying his utmost best to not go down in a fiery blaze of panic. Of all times to come out… of course it had to be when this pack of troubles that is _Teddie_ suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"My… it's so big…" The sultry woman stared at Teddie in surprise. "Go on, hurry on inside with it. By the way, these rooms are amazing. Every room has a waterbed! But don't flip the wrong switch when you're turning on the lights, or your bed will start spinning." She then went back inside, missing the looks of disbelief on her students' faces. An awkward silence fell in the air after that as they let their homeroom teacher's words sink in. A bed that… spins?

…It can _spin_?

What the hell is wrong with this hotel.

Chie smiled hesitantly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. "A-Anyways, I'm looking forward to tomorrow…"

"Yeah, but I'm exhausted… for so many reasons…" Yosuke muttered, sighing deeply as he then went into the hotel, everyone except Teddie and Yu following him inside.

The silver-haired boy watched them enter the hotel before staring uncertainly at Teddie who was still standing frozen in place. Before he could go inside, he had to do something with this bear… he then approached Teddie and tapped his head a few times, seeing no response or movement from the bear. It was then Yu realised that Teddie was doing his best to act like a stuffed animal, which is… admirable, if he were honest. Coming this far may also be Teddie's way of showing how much he genuinely likes them all…

…He could sense Teddie's strong trust in them.

The _Star Social Link_ grew stronger.

As the feeling of having reached a new level of power in said Social Link ebbed away, Yu's thoughts were broken by Teddie's words…

"…I gotta pee."

" _…What?!_ "

Thus, began his struggle to get the damn bear inside.

* * *

 

On the second day of the school trip, by some miracle, during the day they managed to enter every store on Port Island and got things they found interesting with what money they brought along. But at night, they went to local mall that is Paulownia Mall, entering a place called Club Escapade… and it was exactly how its name sounded – a big club full of youngsters looking for an escape from life for a night full of fun, dancing to the beat as lights flashed above their heads. 

Everyone except Yu was stunned to see such a sight, the silver-haired boy having entered a club a few times before during his delinquent days. Heck, this club was actually inferior to the ones he entered before. Possibly because those were in the main cities, while this one was just on an island…

"Whoa…! So this is a club…!" Kanji said, looking around in awe. As he did that, Chie cheered happily, smiling as she placed her hands on her hips. "Whoo! I'm totally ready for this!"

Yukiko looked around as well, intrigued at the new atmosphere of the club. "There's nothing like this back home…"

They all turned to the left to go upstairs, only to stop in their tracks upon seeing Naoto of all people coming down those stairs. The blue-haired boy gave them a stoic gaze as he questioned them. "Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?"

"Wh-What!? Dude, look who's talking! You were here before we were!" Yosuke retorted, stuttering in surprise. Why was Naoto here? He calmed down a few moments later, realising the answer to that question. "That's right… I guess if the first-years came on the trip, you'd be here too…"

Naoto looked to the side before focusing back on the group. "The clientele here seems above-board, so I don't expect there'll be any problems." He then started to leave, only to halt in his steps when Chie asked him why he was leaving, followed by Yukiko offering him to join them. He appeared surprised at the offer. "Are you… asking me to stay?"

Yukiko nodded in response. "Uh-huh. We didn't get to chat last time."

The blue-haired boy's face flushed a reddish colour, making him avert his gaze from the group. He wasn't used to being asked to join others. "Ah… I… i-it's just that I had some matters to attend to that day."

Rise gave him a friendly smile. "Well, you're free now, right? I was really eager to talk to you. I'm curious how someone my age is working as a detective."

"How about it?" Yukiko asked again, smiling at Naoto as well.

"Hmmm… very well, if you insist." Naoto nodded, his face still slightly red. It didn’t go unnoticed by Yosuke who smiled teasingly at the blue-haired boy, crossing his arms as he did. "Huh? What's up? You look a little red…" he asked the guy, flustering Naoto even further.

"Th-That's not true!"

Rise just giggled at the exchange before turning to face the others in the group. "Wait here. I'll go reserve the area upstairs for us."

"Okay." Yosuke nodded nonchalantly, only for him to do a double take when the dark brunette girl's words sunk in. "…Wait, what!? Reserve!?"

"Yep. Don't worry, I think I can pull some strings." Rise then walked off to some part of the club, much to the astonishment of the group. Guess even an idol like her has her skills…

While waiting around, Yu glanced behind him to look at Kanji, giving the blond boy a warm smile as he did. "Hey, Kanji. How're you doing with the place? It's your first time, right?" he asked, having to speak a bit louder since the music's volume increased, the bass pounding from the speakers in the ceilings. His smile faltered a little when Kanji's face flushed a crimson hue, followed by the younger boy looking away from him. "…Are you alright? Your face looks a little red."

"I-I'm doin' fine, Senpai. The place's kinda hot…" Kanji laughed uneasily while wiping his forehead, which started to sweat a little at how nervous he felt towards the silver-haired boy. "Don't worry 'bout me!"

"Mm, you sure?" Yu approached his junior, genuine concern in his eyes. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"

"No… 'm fine! It's just really freaking hot in here…"

"Is it? Hm, I must've gotten used to the summer heat already. Well, just take care of yourself during this trip, okay?" Yu then patted Kanji's shoulder with a hand, a bright smile on his face. "Wouldn’t want you to fall sick on what's supposed to be a nice trip around town."

"Y-yeah…" The red on the blond boy's face merely deepened.

Oh, this is _hard_.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a small while, they were now all on the second floor which Rise had reserved – she still knew _some_ people, fortunately. Now they were all sitting on red leather cushion seats, Yu himself sitting next to Kanji, who sat next to Teddie. The bear was on Yukiko's right and Chie was on her left. On the other row of seats, Naoto sat on one end and Yosuke at the other, with Rise in the middle. They all then made a toast – the drinks were supposedly non-alcoholic... and yet, he could taste a burning aftertaste on his tongue.

This taste was something he both missed and despised, for while he had longed for that burning taste at times, he stopped in hopes his old addiction would fade away. Not anytime soon apparently, if the taste of it was to be any indicator – it was supposedly fruit juice with a touch of soda in it, but there was that strong aftertaste of… what tasted like _alcohol_ as well. It's probably just him.

Even so, he could tell that these drinks looked quite pricey, almost like cocktails… they can't possibly drink so much of it!

"Are you sure this is all right? Isn't it expensive…?" Chie asked Rise, looking uncertainly at her glass. It was so small, it would go empty in a few gulps…

The idol smiled at her and shook her head. "No worries. Two years ago, when I had a secret show here, the power went out in the middle of it, and the gig was cancelled. They still owe me from then, so they're willing to put this one on the house."

Chie then grinned excitedly. "Well in that case, I'm gonna order more."

Everyone shared a few smiles among themselves, some of them thrilled at the fact that they could order more drinks while the rest were relieved that this wasn't going to be hard on Rise in terms of prices. What a deal they got! They've got the whole floor to themselves, and they got some good drinks to enjoy for the night. This is going to be great, though... with this many people in one room, one could imagine all sorts of events happening… hopefully none of the… _weirder_ ones… do happen.

That wouldn't bode well for anyone.

Yu quietly stared down at his drink, slowly realising that the burn on his tongue was definitely the aftertaste of alcohol. Oh no… he felt like he's going to end up relapsing into his addiction again if he doesn't put a restraint on himself now… God knows how hard it was to not long for a drop of sake or beer, or whatever the hell that has alcohol in it. This 'soft drink' was no better, and he's already feeling a little fuzzy in the head. He glanced at the others, wondering if they knew that their drinks had liquor in it.

He was about to find out.

"Whooooo! I'm not gonna hold back either!" Teddie cheered, his voice sounding a little strange.

Kanji commented on it with a confused look. "Dude… you sound even weirder today…"

"Awww, you're sho cold, Kanji…" Ah, there's the slur in the light blond boy's voice. Teddie's already all tipsy. "Hm… Kanji? Kanji, Kanji… I Kanj-ecture that shomething's up! Heeheehee, that's a great one!" He promptly began to laugh, causing everyone except Yukiko to just stare at him weirdly.

"Man, you're already in high gear…" Yosuke muttered, shaking his head.

Yukiko appeared to be mulling over Teddie's words for a few seconds in silence, a smile slowly coming to her flushed face. "…Kanj-ecture… snrk… bwahahaha!" And she too started to laugh as hard as Teddie was. Everyone else gave the two a puzzled look - this seemed a little odd, but Yu definitely knew what was up.

They were, for a lack of a better word, drunk.

"She's looser'n usual too…" Kanji said, raising an eyebrow at the two teenagers – well, it was more like one human bear and one teenager laughing like what they just said was the funniest thing in the world, which it isn't.

While the others watched the two continue laughing, Yosuke suspected that something was off about his drink, taking another sip. He couldn't find anything weird about it, but if he had to base it off Yukiko and Teddie's bizarre attitude... "Hey, wait a sec! Are these liquor…!?"

Rise quickly shook her head before looking at the brunet boy, her face as red as a tomato and her eyes looking somewhat dazed. Her voice was no better, stuttering and slurring her words. "I-I told 'em to give us soft drinks! They're non-alcoholic!" When Yosuke gave her an uncertain look, she let out a frustrated noise, pouting her lips. "…I told them. Really, I did! Really!" Then when she got no response, she covered her face and started to 'cry', which seemed a lot like mere crocodile tears. She's going to end up being all cheerful the next moment…

Chie stared down at her glass in shock. "Aw, sheesh… I was wondering why it's so hot…"

Kanji also looked at his glass of the beverage before taking a sniff of the scent it was giving off. "Is this seriously booze? But the smell's-"

" _King's Gaaaaaaame!_ "

The blond boy was cut off by Rise, who got up from her seat and walked towards the table where the rest of the glasses with their drinks were, a sly smile on her red face as she yelled cheerfully all of a sudden.

Called it.

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing, staring at the idol in surprise. Did she just say what they thought she just said?

Rise smiled mischievously, looking at everyone with hazy eyes. "Times like this, adults play the King's Game. It's the law…" She hiccupped, just as the others looked at her strangely. She's hopelessly lost to the alcohol now. "What's their problem…? They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then say I'm a kid…" Another hiccup, and she was starting to look annoyed now as she recounted her 'tale'. "It's so obvious… those wrap parties get a lot funner after I go home! _Morooons!_ I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't no one gonna stop me!"

Worried glances were shared among the group that has yet to be lost to the fog of drunkenness.

King's Game… wasn't that the game involving sticks and ordering people?

"Yet another side of Rise exposed… I wonder if she knows what she's saying…" Yosuke murmured, staring at Rise with a thoughtful look. If the dark brunette girl knew what she was saying, she'd either get embarrassed or be proud of it. Who knows?

"Kanjiiii!" Rise shouted at Kanji, who straightened himself in shock at being yelled at. "Get the chopsticks ready!"

The blond boy's eyes widened. "Wha--!? Why me…?"

"The King's word is law! Chop-chop!"

Yosuke became tense, stunned to hear those words. "I-It's already started!?"

Hence started the chaos.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a while, Kanji did get the chopsticks, and Rise managed to prepare them despite being all woozy. All that's left is to just start the 'game'.

"U-Um… what's this King's Game again?" Chie quietly asked her best friend, feeling nervous at playing something that only adults play… or so Rise said. The black-haired girl smiled drunkenly at the brunette and waved her arms in the air as she explained, her voice heavily slurred. "Okay… one chopstick makes you the King if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em… the King picks a number and says what that person has to do. But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders!"

"Senpai, you're such an adult! You tell 'em!" Rise cheered her senior on with a heavily flushed face.

Chie just stared at Yukiko in shock. "Y-Yukiko!? Where'd you learn this stuff!?"

"C'mon, everyone draw!" The idol then passed around a cup filled with the chopsticks, starting with Yu first. He stared at the cup of chopsticks for a while, wondering if he should go with his instinct or do guesswork. The former told him to grab the nearest stick, while the latter made him choose the furthest one… but, seeing that his instincts have also kept him alive in the TV world, it probably would do him well to go with them again this time around. With that, he confidently picked the nearest stick and passed the cup to Kanji, watching the others pick their sticks.

While they busied themselves with the task, he took a peek at his stick.

…Number 6, huh?

Not bad.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once everyone had their sticks, Rise spoke up to ask with a naughty smile. "Okay, sooooo… who's the King?"

Everyone then looked at their sticks, Yu included so he wasn't called out for peeking at his early. A few moments later and suddenly, Teddie got up with a shocked look on his face. "Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King!?" Those words easily made the others except Yukiko stare at him with troubled looks – knowing the light blond boy, he'll probably ask for something outrageous. He's capable of it; one just needed to remember what he did back during the summer festival and his efforts to get to Port Island in the first place.

Yosuke groaned. "Ugh, we're already doomed from the get-go…"

Pretty much.

"I, the King, command thee to smooch the King without delay!" Teddie ordered, a playful smile coming to his lips. "Smoooooooch!"

That got everyone else in the room anxious. Oh, he has got to be kidding. A _kiss_?

"S-S-S-Smooch!?" Chie's eyes grew big at the order, now feeling worried if she had to give Teddie exactly that. She and everyone else listened with tense forms as the human-bear announced his choice while holding his stick tightly, eyes shut in a hasty prayer to the ones above.

"Please God… grant me a girl! Number… two!"

"Aaaahhh!" Yosuke stood up in alarm, gaping at Teddie with a dismayed look. He looked down at his stick, and there it was, the number two in bright red. "What the hell?!"

Teddie shared the exact same expression for a split second before looking away from the brunet. "Uhh, I meant number three…!"

Kanji quickly shook his head – that was his number! Like hell he's going to end up smooching this bear! "No take-backs, Teddie!"

"Smooch, smooooch!" Yukiko cheered the two on while waving her arms in the air again, making everyone feel nervous. This game was a lot more serious that they had realised… the wrong number and the wrong request, and something like this can happen. Teddie and Yosuke were receiving the brunt of it.

Teddie looked at Yosuke again, still looking shocked. "Yosuke… my own roommate, taking something so precious from me…!" A determined expression then took over the shock, his baby blue eyes staring directly at the brunet as he got closer. "Okay, but it's my first time! Be gentle…!" he said slowly, lifting his hands up as he prepared to do the act. Surprisingly, he's actually going to do it. His 'partner' doesn't look very happy at that fact, slowly backing away.

"H-Hell no…!" Yosuke could only shake his head in refusal, lifting his hands up to defend himself just as the human-bear threw himself onto him, causing them to roll around on the tiled floor for a few moments before stopping, with Teddie right on top of the brunet. "Gahh! Argh, stop that! I'm this close to _punching_ you, Teddie!" His yells went unheard by Teddie as the light blond boy managed to get a hold of his face. His eyes widened in horror as Teddie started to lean in. "Aaaagh! Noooo! H-Heeeelp!"

…A loud smooching sound echoed through the room.

Wow, they really did it. Albeit forced.

Rise giggled, that same mischievous smile on her flushed face again. "Ohooo… only the first round, and two contestants have dropped out already." Her comment made the remaining others stare at her in worry. What have they gotten themselves into?

"Huh? Is it that kind of game?" Chie asked nervously, only to be ignored by the idol who got up and raised a fist into the air excitedly.

"On to round two!"

Yikes.

Yu soon found a cup full of chopsticks shoved into his face again, which he stared at for a few moments to let his hazy mind take in the fact that he needed to pick a stick. Carefully too, because he didn't want to end up like how his best friend did. Lifting a tentative hand, he pondered over his choices again before deciding to go with his instinct once more, this time picking the farthest stick from him before passing the cup over to Kanji. He took a peek again at his stick… it would be an understatement to say that he was surprised to see a red mark on it.

He was the next King!

Eyes widening slightly, he quickly hid the shock on his face with a stoic expression, acting calm as he always did. This can either be good for him or not… and seeing that the only people left were two boys and three girls, two of the latter which were drunk as hell, he might not be getting out alive tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once everyone had their sticks, Rise smiled mischievously again. "Who's the King?" she asked eagerly, eyes narrowed with a drunken look to them.

"…I am." Yu lifted his hand, letting the others know that he was the King for this round. He could then see expressions of relief appear on Chie, Naoto and Kanji's faces, glad that their next King was someone who was alright… or at least, they thought he was.

"Phew, someone decent… no crazy orders this time…" Chie commented, smiling gladly at that fact.

However, her hopes were dashed when Yukiko spoke, her voice slurring while waving her arms in the air again. "That's not how it goes! If the last King demanded a smooch, then the next order's gotta be more extreme." She leaned back against the red leather seats, her eyes falling shut as she droned on. "Chiiieee, don't be such a party pooper… ahahahaha!" She continued to laugh, making the others sans Rise stare at her with concern. Whatever was in those drinks, it was making her act unlike herself.

Just then, Rise had a 'great' idea come to her. "Heyyy! The person who gets picked should have to rest their head on the King's lap."

On his lap…?

"Nah, make 'em sit on his lap," Yukiko countered.

Uh…

"Oh! Or they could have to hug him!"

Hell no!

"Better than that… a piggyback ride!"

…What?

"C'mon, King! Who's gonna do what!?"

Before Yu could even comprehend all these suggestions, he was already getting pressured on by the idol… and everyone else was staring at him, including Kanji. Blinking a few times, he tried to think of what number of pick and which suggestion to even go with. He… he could take a girl doing any of those things. It'll just be a thing where anything that happens tonight shall be… uh, forgotten the next morning. Hopefully. There is that one chance where the one of the two boys in this room could end up getting called by him… but that's just a two-over-five chance.

Well, his luck with his instinct has been doing well these last two chopstick pickings.

Deciding to throw it all to fate, his eventually made his choice, saying it out as he closed his eyes, awaiting a squeal of joy from Yukiko or Rise, or even a gasp of surprise from Chie.

"…Number four hugs me."

"Wha--!?"

He hadn't expected to hear a masculine voice, however.

The exclamation followed by a shuffling sound made the silver-haired boy open his eyes, turning his head in the direction he heard that voice from. Slowly, he trailed his eyes up to see a stunned look on Kanji's face, who had stood up the moment his number got called out. "S-Senpai, sure you didn't say the wrong number…?!" he asked the older boy, desperately wishing he heard wrong. That he didn't just get ordered by Yu Narukami to _hug_ him, of all things!

Yu struggled to find the words to speak, opening and closing his mouth a few times. He felt like an idiot for a moment. "I… er… is your number actually four…?"

"No way…" Kanji's eyes widened. "How'dya choose _me_ out of three girls?!"

"W…well…"

Rise cut in with a bubbly giggle, interrupting their conversation. "The King's order is…"

"…Absolute! Ahahaha!" And Yukiko finished the idol's sentence, laughing drunkenly.

This only made Yu and Kanji awkwardly glance at each other.

Kanji groaned as he looked away, scratching the back of his head. "Dammit… a hug…?" This was not helping with holding back his feelings for the upperclassman. In fact, it'll just end up with him wanting more… but when else will he have this one chance, the chance to have a taste of how close he could get to Yu under the guise of a forced hug? He was a man, darn it! And he's going to do it, come what may. With that, he got in front of the silver-haired boy.

Swallowing his saliva, he threw away whatever hesitation and uneasiness he felt at the moment to the back of his mind, just for now.

…Here he goes.

Squatting slightly, Kanji then bent down, carefully wrapping his arms around Yu's shoulders while keeping as much distance as he could from the older boy, but it wasn't enough to prevent their faces from being uncomfortably close, even as they averted their gazes from the other. The two teenagers could feel the warmth and dampness from their breaths hitting their skin, merely amplified by the growing fire in their cheeks. Thankfully the room was dimly lit to the point that the others couldn't see the red on their faces.

Is it just them, or is the room way too hot…?

It's almost as if they could hear the other's heartbeats.

As embarrassing this was, they couldn’t help but savour this moment too. The one time they'll ever be this close… and the last time they'll ever enjoy something like this. These feelings that blossomed without warning, between a boy and a girl posing as a boy… until all is broken, they can't ever be together.

That's the reality of it.

Once an eternity had passed, Kanji finally let go of Yu, their eyes meeting if but for a moment. Within that instant, it felt like their hearts were being torn apart. They both quickly looked away, minds too muddled to find something to say.

Yu felt like downing his drink, alcohol or none. He can't take this while sober.

…So, he did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It just ended too soon.

All that was said were a few words of sorry before Kanji returned to where he sat, just as Yosuke and Teddie recovered from their own ordeals and got back to their seats too.

Yukiko remained just as drunk either way. "Ahahaha, me next! Me! I'm the King! Actually, the Queen!" she said, giggling as she waved her arms sluggishly. In response to that, everyone excluding Rise stared at her oddly. Yosuke just frowned at her words. "You didn't even draw a chopstick!" he pointed out, his eyebrows furrowed. He only got ignored by the black-haired girl.

"Alright, then… let's have someone talk about something really embarrassing that they'd never wanna tell anyone! Hrmmm, let's see… ah! Naoto-kun! I choose you!"

Oh dear.

"She's breaking all the rules… just ignore her, Naoto," Yosuke quickly told the detective, grimacing at how unpolite Yukiko was acting. Naoto simply smiled, shaking his head. "No… no, that won't be necessary. One stipulation, though: If I do this, the rest of you must reveal 'something' as well."

Before anyone could discuss about it, Rise merely consented with a cheery voice. "Okaaay!"

They didn't agree to this!

"No particularly embarrassing experiences come to mind… would discussing my life be fair game? It's the rare situation like this that gives me call to speak of such things." Naoto somehow could still remain formal even when forced to participate in this game.

Yosuke gave him a strange stare, noting how the air felt like they were in some kind of documentary now. "Damn… way to kill the mood…"

Despite the brunet boy's words, Naoto then told the group about his life. Apparently, his family has been detectives for generations, lending their powers to the police from time to time – consulting detectives were considered more valuable in the past since there were no crime scene investigators. His grandfather still had a strong connection with the police and looked after Naoto, despite his youth and inexperience… though since investigators nowadays were well versed in science and medicine, Naoto must further his studies to be a great detective.

…That was all to it. No punch line at all.

"That's sooo embarrassing! Isn't Naoto-kun embarrassing?" And still Yukiko thought it was humiliating.

Sighing, Yosuke looked off to the side as he leaned back into the leather seats. This was _worse_ than the lectures. "I wanna go home…"

"Phew… I'm sleepy." Rise hung her head as she started to feel tired… before dozing off right where she was sitting. Ignoring whatever she and Yosuke just said, Naoto looked at Yukiko seriously. "Well then, it's your turn now. A straight answer, please. What is your true involvement with the murder case?"

The way Naoto questioned the black-haired girl almost made Yosuke chuckle at the polite manner the detective was adamant in keeping. "You know, you're so good at killing the mood that it's almost funny…"

Yukiko smiled dazedly at the detective. "Weeeeell, we go rescuing people who've been kidnapped by jumping into the TV!" Her words immediately made the others in the Investigation Team panic for a second. But they couldn't show it on their faces lest they risk Naoto suspecting something. "And theeen, we do stuff like, 'Persona!' with our Personas and beat the crap outta Shadows…" Oh dear, they're this close to getting busted.

"Y-You idiot…" Yosuke cringed a little, glancing at Naoto nervously. Yukiko just revealed everything… and literally everything.

Naoto lowered his head, eventually sighing. "…Are you making fun of me?"

…He didn't believe it!

Before anyone could relax, Rise just had to rub salt in the wound as she suddenly woke up and got up from her seat, looking annoyed. "Ish true!" She then lifted a fist into the air, posing like some hero. "Personaaaa!" Her voice soon trailed off, and she sat again on the sofa… dozing off once more.

"Sheesh! Somebody put these two drunks to bed already!" Chie just shook her head with an exasperated huff.

"…I see now that you had no intention of telling me the truth." Naoto lifted his head, saying that with a calm tone. However, his face soon turned into one of puzzlement. "But I'm curious… how did you become inebriated? This isn't alcohol."

Yu glanced at the blue-haired boy, now starting to feel confused despite the thin haze in his mind. Sure, the drinks tasted like fruit juice, much like his own glass, but there was no doubting that burning taste on his tongue. Even now he was managing to stay awake and remain somewhat sober enough to not slur like Rise and Yukiko were doing. Otherwise, how are those two drunk out of their minds then? Unless some crook slipped a few things in their drinks, which… wouldn't be good either.

"Good one, Naoto!" Yukiko laughed at Naoto's 'joke', but the detective was actually serious.

"No, I confirmed it when I first entered. No alcohol has been served here since a rash of drunk driving last year."

Chie's eyes widened. "Huh…? Does that mean we're all just drunk off the atmosphere?"

"Whooo caaares…" Yukiko shrugged slowly, her words dragging on. "Whee, I feel so good… goood niiiiight…" …And promptly dozed off as well.

Kanji had to blink a few times, looking between Yukiko and Rise. If these two are going to stay asleep… "Hey, Senpai! How the hell're we gonna get back with two passed-out drunks!?" It's not that they couldn't just carry the two girls all the way back to the hotel they were staying at – the _problem_ was Ms. Kashiwagi.

Yosuke merely sighed, holding his head as he felt a headache coming on. "All this is giving me a big headache… is this what a hangover feels like…?"

Naoto only gave the brunet boy a shocked look – was he really getting a hangover after drinking fruit juice that supposedly didn't have alcohol in them? And Teddie just had to suggest they drink until morning with a bit of slurring, which Rise agreed to as if it was a challenge… only to fall asleep yet again. The detective ended up sighing too, crossing his arms in frustration. "As I said… you haven't been drinking alcohol! Are you a pack of imbeciles?!" he told them while gritting his teeth.

The whole chaos of it… Yu felt himself starting to chuckle at the hilarity of the situation. Ah, the alcohol's getting to him. Or the atmosphere. Maybe they just added soda into the drinks… it could explain the burning taste. Whatever. "Heh… the crack investigation team, ladies and gentlemen…!" he murmured, sitting back into the leather seats before letting his head hit the cushion with a dull thud. He really needed to sleep off the tipsiness he felt.

"Senpai, are you drunk too?!"

"…Ugh."

This is one hell of a night.


	38. Author's Note (Again)

Alright... I'm sorry for not having updated this story in months, and the fact that a new update is but a mere Author's Note. But as of right now, I'm enrolled in a matriculation college where I'm following a one year programme to eventually earn a certificate that counts as both my A-levels and also a diploma, and because of that, there's literally no time for me to write the story as I already have a number of subjects to study in a shorter period. Maybe I could scrounge up what free time I have to write, but for the time being, the story is officially on a hiatus, I guess.

It's super hard for me to say this, but it's either my new (super hard) life or risk failure.

But truly, I would love to get another chapter up! Life just got in the way and has truly shitted on me this time around.


End file.
